Finally I went out with my favorite running buddy to run a virtual race. And: I was allowed to chatter.
It was so hard to say goodbye during the Kroondomein het Loo Trailmarathon. Ramona had a backache and I had to leave her behind to continue the marathon alone. While in reality I preferred to stay with her to make sure everything went ok. We would resolve the fact I still had her bib holder later. But corona came in between, so there were no more joint races on the program to return it at. If you don't run yourself, you don't know how nice it is to have someone who has equal goals – having fun instead of rushing to the finish – and who runs your pace. Now that the demands on outdoor sports are a bit milder, we decided to run a virtual run together: Kill the Hill.
This challenge of the Groningen trail store Steenboksport actually comes instead of a competition at Kardinge, where, as in Bergschenhoek, there is a ski hill for altitude training. The goal: run 200 altimeters (hm d+) for a bronze medal, 250 for silver or 300 for gold. Of course we go for gold.
Travelling
As also described in my story about the vertical kilometer, there was one problem with the hill challenge: it has to be close to home. Neither of us drive a car and public transport is only for essential journeys at the moment. In other words, we have to find a point between both houses, where many altimeters can be made. Because I could use the Me-Mover – we would not go far from the parking lot – I was to travel a little further. In the end we ended up at the Gaatkensbult in Barendrecht, 22 km for me and about 10 for Ramona. Sounds good right?
But when you get up in the morning, it suddenly sounds a lot less fun. The wind is really strong, can I make it in time with the Me-Mover? Where's that bike pump? And to top it all: why now a bad hair day, which will only get worse because of the helmet. When I finally see someone, I'm unrecognizable by the corona coiffure.
‘Luckily’ I had also read an article in a magazine for professional runners the night before, in which running on Me-Mover was compared to continuous hill training. That helps if you want to get nervous whether you can keep up with someone.
It will not surprise anyone that I left a little late (around 9 o'clock). Luckily it was still pretty quiet, because I had to go straight through the city center of Rotterdam, over the Erasmus bridge and via Zuidplein to Barendrecht. Of course I used Komoot again for navigation. But it went completely wrong at Zuidplein. I did go wrong at least ten times in a neighborhood I normally avoid; it is a bit of a slum.
Komoot's been dropping out more often as of late. Actually the trouble started after an update of my Motorola. It often begins with the app indicating that the GPS signal is weak. But it seems almost as if the sensor is actually switched off because of the energy consumption. I hope I can find a solution. Now it meant following signs and stopping every now and then to see if I was on the right way.
White Vans
Just after the centre of Barendrecht it finally loomed up as an artificial pimple in the flat land: the Gaatkensbult. On top there was a large round mirror, so it was definitely the right hill. Halfway the hump I found a very cold Ramona. I was half an hour late… And knowing her, she was too early. That's not convenient in a windy place, and I felt a bit guilty.
I quickly locked my bike and we started to run. At first I found it a bit scary: the Me-Mover is very visible, difficult to lock and quite expensive. But we were going to run around it anyway, so it was never longer than a few minutes alone. Moreover, there were mainly boot campers and now and then other runners who trained on the stairs. Not a place for white vans to kidnap my child.
We first walked to the lowest point of the hill and then climbed it via unpaved roads. Our watches measured a neat 25 altimeters. That corresponded well with the map, and was a simple number to count for our 300 target meters.
Running stairs
Unlike the running groups that occasionally passed by, we mainly wanted to train trails, not just climbing stairs. So we alternated between the loam paths and the green slopes. In terms of height covered the path of course doesn't matter, in terms of technicality it does. However, we did most of the climbing at a steady pace.
Not going too fast has a big advantage. The Me-Mover training beforehand was no problem because of our speed and we could catch up the missed conversations. During races that is often a bit more difficult, it sometimes does earn me a 'quit the jabbering'. I do miss that too, the adrenaline that rushes through me and my characterfull running buddy during a big race.
The best part of the route was actually the descent. That was almost always via the grass side. Moving your feet quickly is fun and I had the upper hand making use of my weight and experience. In the beginning I was a bit faster there, but Ramona picked it up quickly.
Out of step
Much sooner than we expected, the 300 altimeters were done. At least on Ramona's Fenix 5s, which consistently scored 25 m per lap. My Fenix 5x was suddenly a few meters behind in one lap. How is that possible? I suspect it has to do with the strong wind and the placement of the barometer in the 5x. After all, we were running the same route.
Because it was so easy, and because we wanted to be sure of enough altimeters for our virtual run, we decided to keep on running. In the end Ramona clocked 425 altimeters. And not even 10 km distance. Of course that is not possible if you participate in the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee. For the muscles it seemed a good idea to run slowly through the park along the river Maas. Even though the legs still felt pretty smooth, much better than after the vertical kilometer.
Coffee to go
The run being so successful and quick, it was far too early to say goodbye. Luckily I had found a place beforehand where we could pick up some coffee. And possibly cake, but that's not wise because of my corona fat (luckily I had a good model today to keep the photos in my blog presentable).
It was also the first time I had a bicycle riding along while I was on the Me-Mover. Things went well above expectation. The pace of the Me-Mover is often a bit higher than on a normal bike (usually around 20-22 km/h when the wind isn't against it) and turns and brakes require that you don't ride right behind it. Because of the width of the Me-Mover, riding next to it is usually not an option either.
The teahouse clearly reflected the madness of the measures. You were not allowed to sit inside or on the terrace, bottles of coke went into a cardboard cup. Just in front of the teahouse is a park. There we could drink our cappuccinos on a bench.
Only at Feyenoord
After saying goodbye it was about 30 km back home. Again over the Erasmus bridge, but not along Zuidplein. This time the route was already partly known and it went a lot smoother.
Passing along the Feyenoord district was new in this route. Indeed, also along the stadium. The whole route I had seen at most a few surprised looks when people saw my Me-Mover, but here almost everyone looked back, and there were thumbs up, cheers and horns. A strange sensation, the Me-Mover is still quite unknown in that area. Although for a moment I was afraid that I had lost something.
The hurrays were nice, but in the hustle and bustle of the city I need to pay special attention to the traffic. A bike like this has some inconveniences on busy roads. Although I am faster than many cyclists, car’s often estimate it to be a slow vehicle. It is difficult to overtake on narrow bike paths with cargo bikes. And braking and sharp turns are things I still have to master a bit myself. Notwithstanding that, the relatively busy Rotterdam crossings didn't bother me very much. I have certainly grown in cycling technique.
Once I got home, I was satisfied, although I wasn't tired by a long shot. My hair was completely out of shape because of the strong headwind. But I had achieved a nice series of results.
As far as food is concerned, it hasn't been a problem anywhere. I drank 1 sachet of Generation Ucan, 1 portion of Isostar sports drink, ate 1 nougat and two currant buns. The blood sugar remained between 5.5 and 10 mmol/l (100-180 mg/dl) all the time.
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Great Title for your story (:
The hill has a strange name 😉