DNS: no Castle Trail for me

Sometimes you have to choose for your health and refrain from a trip in the Ardennes. Fortunately, a tour with the Me-Mover is a distraction. Zuid-Holland is actually quite beautiful.

In 2017 I visited a more technical trail in the Ardennes for the first time: the Castle Trail. It was the first edition and Mr. De Jong thought it was no problem to run 20 km (two loops) there. That was a bit disappointing, but I made it and it was a very cool experience.

In 2018 I went again, that time for 24 km in newly developed loops. That year it was hot, extremely hot, in the days leading up to the trail. When I arrived in La Roche-en-Ardenne after 7 hours in bus and train, the thermometer indicated more than 40 degrees Celsius. I didn't do anything else that day except for a short walk, but got completely overheated. Nauseous, dehydrated. I didn't regain consciousness and lay on a cold floor for hours, drinking about everything I came across. The next day (as a quiet outing I stayed a few days to acclimatize) I was still very lousy. The day of the race the temperature was more reasonable and I decided to just start. Again I made it (see photo), but also this time it was very heavy and that's why I wanted revenge in 2019 with three loops. After training for marathon two and Lanzarote that would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?

However, an injury made the training a lot less in the first half of the year. And then the temperature changed again. Again I would have to travel at around 40 C, with as a highlight the Calatrava station of Liège that would burn itself in as a lens on me for half an hour. On top of that, the last couple of days were very oppressive due to smog and pollen. The race itself – for which I would need around 6 hours – was expected at temperatures between 20 and 28 C. That's why I decided to stay home on Wednesday and not go to the Ardennes. Painful, but I think it's wise.

Tour

In the meantime Franny already had other plans and so it is now a few days alone at home. To still be able to survive in the heat and train a bit for the Airborne Freedom Trail, I decided to make some tours on the Me-Mover. Even in the evening hours there wasn't far to go.

Yesterday I went to the Zevenhuizerplas with dip on the beach. Lovely with the wind through your hair on zo’n staff something. And yet quite a good workout even when cycling quietly. Well, quiet… I came up a small hill at Outdoor Valley – on an old garbage dump – not over and I couldn't let that sit on me. So pedal a lot faster again and yes we made it! Then hang out and move on.

On the way I lost my water bottle somewhere, probably through a spring or brick road, so if anyone finds a Nike bottle, I'd like to hear it. I think I've had it for 10 years and we've been through a lot together: Muhammad the personal trainer, 5 rhythm dancing, yoga, leaks in Spanish buses and that eternal beep after drinking. To still have a drink, I went along the Pannenkoe in Rodenrijs for a bouncer with two coke.

Another good tip for those who think it's too hot to put a shirt under the racing vest: make sure you load it properly. I have a chain lock with this for the Me-Mover that apparently sanded. The other trip I put a cloth under it and that solves the problem.

Emptiness

Today I even made a real monster trip through the Zuid-Holland landscape: 50 km. I never knew there is so much nature left in the Green Heart. And beaches that are practically empty because of the heat.

The first stop was the beach near Vlietlanden. A very nice place with big water (don't read blue-green algae) where I enjoyed diving in after about 17 kilometers of cycling. Small fish shot away and I even saw a zebra-striped larger fish in the clear water. The Me-Mover pulled a little bit, but I was able to put it under a tree – with ribbons over the processionary caterpillar – let alone while swimming.

The rest of the trip went to the North Beach near Zoetermeer to eat. Unfortunately the Google Maps route was closed and there were no signs for a detour. After a long search it turned out that I had to make a detour all the way around the Vlietlanden. I was happy once I got to lunch, because both the water and the Generation Ucan energy drink was completely exhausted. A big one: fries special, two coke light and half a litre of water. No insulin at this lunch because I still had to go back about 15 kilometres. And no dip, because it was later…

Once close to home, I made one last stop at the tearoom in the Groenzoom. I cooled down with a nice homemade ice cream. When I got home the blood sugar was 9,5 mmol/l, so pretty well done.

(Besides ice cream and fries, I had a bag of Ucan vanilla with egg white, a bag of Ucan cocoa delight, a packet of Powerbar gel candies and a sports bar nougat. Movement time excluding swimming was 3 hours 20 minutes. It seems that the Ucan doesn't do very much when you take it in sips).