Machelen 9.8km - 24 June 2011 - 0h43:53

The main feature of this edition was the heat. The temperature was in the high 20s, the sun was shining bright, and hot!

The warming up phase included the usual routine for hot weather racing - drinking lots of water and pouring some more on top of my head. I seem to have learned the lesson from Huldenberg very well, because after the Sterrebeek 16k I again managed to get the race just right - not too fast in the beginning, and chasing the next runner ahead during the second half. It's actually easier when a race consists of two repeated loops, because in the second part you know exactly what to expect.

Well, 'easier' doesn't really describe today's race. This being a relatively short distance, the pace is inevitably faster, and more so since it's almost completely flat all the way. Again, I managed to hold on to my position in the final sprint - I seem to be getting good at this! Besides which, I overtook a good number of rivals and can't recall anyone overtaking me after the initial few minutes of settling down. It was no surprise that I ended up running at the fastest pace in this year's series.

At a price... soon after crossing the finish I simply rolled onto the ground and lay there full length, gasping for breath. But I wasn't alone in this. It really was a hot, gruelling effort!

Before we went home, all finishers received a deserved prize for our efforts - a bottle of Farnese, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo d.o.c. - denominazione di origine controllata... Cheers!

A great race!

Sterrebeek Scottloop - 15,6km - Sunday 12 June 2011 - 1h12:07

I doubt if I could have run this even one second faster. It's the first time, post-injury, that I've run a race faster than on a previous occasion. Of course, one important reason was that the previous occasion in November 2009 the weather conditions were much worse - the ground was slippery and there was a strong wind that in some parts slowed me down almost to walking pace.

This time the conditions were practically ideal - sunshine, 16 C or so and a fresh breeze. The route... is what it is. It's mostly in the countryside along paved paths surrounded by large fields, very picturesque. Then, almost inevitably in Belgium, you hit the unpaved paths. One, in particular, was so tricky. It was a lane in between fields consisting of a higher strip in the middle covered by vegetation, and two lower narrow strips on the sides, mostly soil or gravel, that had been formed over the years by the wheels of farming vehicles. You need to stay behind the runner in front of you, or switch 'lanes' to overtake, but do it fast as the space is narrow. Sometimes you need to switch simply because the ground gets too uneven. I do hate this type of terrain! You can't run properly, you can't overtake properly, you feel 'obliged' to keep up the pace not to hold back runners behind you, and you risk getting injured. Later there was second rough stretch, not as long as the first, which even had a warning sign indicating treacherous ground caused by exposed roots.

Typically for Belgium, the race consists of two loops, which is not such a bad thing since at the half way mark you then know exactly what to expect in the second part. It was at the half way point that a young lady passed me. Nothing unusual so far, it happens (too) many times. But it was the point where I had planned to speed up the pace, which pace, although cautious so far, had not been leisurely at all. After a few minutes I caught up with her and overtook her again. A few more minutes, and I started to feel the effects of the strong pace. But since in my previous race I had had to stop running and walk for a bit, giving up this time was absolutely out of the question. I simply had to go on running. I took heart from the fact that I was still overtaking other runners, which could only mean that I wasn't slowing down in spite of feeling tired.

When the second stretch of treacherous ground was over in the second loop we were getting close to the finish. Now it was just one final kilometre of flat ground and proper road surface. Time to prepare for the final sprint! I heard the sound of hard breathing getting louder behind me (my own breathing wasn't too relaxed either...) and without looking I was sure who it was. She wasn't prepared to give up without a fight, but then neither was I. I lengthened the pace and ran flat out, especially after the final bend.

Made it! I've recovered the ability to win a final sprint! It was so competitive that we had to be physically stopped at the finishing line to allow for barcode scanning for the official time.

Thank you for a great race, young lady. Thank you Sterrebeek. I look forward to coming back next year.