This race has a very strict 5h30 cutoff and when I entered I was hopeful that I should be ok with that having got my 5:0:01 at Loch Ness in Sept 2013 and add to that there are no hills in Rotterdam. The person who finishes on or just before 5:30 becomes a celebrity as the TV camera bikes follow them for the last 2km and they get presented their medal by the race winner... I wasn't sure if I fancied that part of things but decided even though plans were changed for 2015, that I'd take a chance.
As it was, I finished behind the official clock so at the moment don't have a recorded time, however along with the other folks who were behind me, and there were a few, we were told at about the 20mile mark, that we would be ok to finish and that would still get our medals. I was ok with this, as my goals had changed, if as originally planned I had trained for this as my 'A' race of the year I would have hopefully not been in this position.
This is a superbly organised race, a very flat, fast course and definitely one for those of you who are PB hunting. The support on the course is awesome, and I was blown away by the number of people still at the finish all cheering and shouting my name - I may at some point come back and do it again with a proper marathon training plan and taper behind me. Like I said when I posted about Berlin, I am in no way being disrespectful by running and not being 'properly prepared' I most certainly don't go out with the attitude that I can 'wing it' but I went out to do a 26mile (26.52) training run and I managed that. I'm disappointed that I didn't get under 5:30 but not downhearted, I know where things went wrong, where I got bored and where I should have fuelled (but that would mean remembering to take stuff with me...) my legs were less problematic than in Berlin and we had a fine long weekend away topped off by hitting the 6kg weightloss mark today :-)
ps Hardlopen means to run/race
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