In the morning I was so anxious to get to the starting line and get going - after 12 weeks of training I actually did feel pretty good about the actual running, I was just a bit nervous about all the hoo-ha about getting to Brussels and figuring out where I had to be. Stefaan went with me as my support crew and he did a great job!
Getting into Brussels by train was easy (it was fun seeing all the other runners from Leuven waiting) and I used the bathroom at the Central Station before catching the Metro to where the race would start and where I was supposed to meet up with the rest of the Giraffe Project team. The team had parked a van very close to the race start and finish, where we all congregated while trying to stay out of the drizzly rain and wind, fueled, chatted about our goals for time, our previous races. It was fun to have that to distract us from the nervous waiting before the race started. At 2.30 we took a group picture so the faster runners could get to their corrals in time.
The start was planned in waves and I was in the last corral which wasn't supposed to leave til 3:20. This gave us plenty of time to go find a last bathroom stop (in a nearby Chinese restaurant). I lined up with two other ladies from the Giraffe Team. It seemed to take forever before we started moving forward toward the big Arch that we had to pass through and get across the timing mats. When we did cross the mats, I looked at my watch, and it was 3:25. I was hoping to finish somewhere with a time of between 2:15 and 2:30. One of the ladies I was lined up with, Tina, also wanted to do about a 2:30, so when we finally got going we stuck together, which was great. We were chatting, people-watching and giving each other high-fives as we passed the signs marking the kilometers and it seemed to just fly by!
The course was great fun - we ran by the Royal Palace, through tunnels, in the "Central Park" of Brussels: Bois de la Cambre, past the beautiful neighborhoods and embassies south-east of Brussels, as well as the pretty town of Watermael-Boisfort. There was great crowd support all along the way, with bands playing music, here and there some Giraffe Team supporters, and even individuals handing out sugar cubes to weary runners! I was feeling really good - I never hit that wall where you feel like you're not going to make it.
We caught up to one of the younger members of Giraffe Team, a lovely 14-year-old girl, Laura, who was running her first race ever and for a while there were three of us, which was fun. Tina thought she might need to walk more after 10 kilometers but we ended up sticking it out together until about 17 km, when the big steep climb started just before the finish. That was when I was lucky to have some reserves left thanks to having run at a comfortable pace. I slowly but surely made my way up the hill, but unfortunately lost Tina behind me. It was a seriously tough climb, and lots of people were walking or stopped with cramps. This was definitely the hardest part of the race, requiring the most mental strength. At last, at Montgomery Square, the course finally flattens out and you can see the Arch in the distance which just keeps getting closer and closer - the end is in sight!!!
Stefaan had planned to try to see me at a couple of points along the way, and I was looking for him at those spots but we never saw each other. Luckily he got himself a good spot to watch runners coming in at the finish and managed to snap a picture of me making me way to the end. I look like I am struggling but in fact I felt pretty good and he said I looked strong as I passed him. It was great to hear him cheer me in and know he had finally seen me!
After passing Stefaan it was few hundred meters to the actual Arch where the finish line was. Based on my watch calculations I figured I had run about a 2:20 which I was really pleased with. It was a great feeling to have finished feeling so strong. (My official chip time was 2:23:23.) I got my medal and saw a few other Giraffe Team members, including Laura, and we gave each other hugs and congratulations, and then I finally found Stefaan. I didn't manage to find Tina in all the confusion, but we finally decided to get back on the Metro for the journey home. And since there was no goody bag or any eats at the end of the race (because it only costs 15 euros to race Brussels, the accomodations are a bit minimalistic!), I treated myself to a warm Liege waffle at the train station - it was well-earned (and by that point I was starving!)
All in all, it turned out to be a great day - we were even really lucky with the weather as the temperature was actually perfect for running and the rain never got really bad. Having a buddy to run with, the variation in the course and the entertainment and support along the way made it seem like it just flew by. It was also a great experience to feel I was part of a team. I would definitely do this again!
I'll be honest, though, by the time we got off the train for our short walk home - I was STIFF! Stefaan said the closer we got to home, the slower I was walking! It was mainly that right hip, but I iced it really well last night and today it's mainly my two second toes on both feet that are sore, the front of both my ankles, and my upper legs in general. So yes, I am hobbling around a bit today, but I honestly don't mind a bit - it was worth it!
