http://jonworth.eu/trailrunner/DT6C3JL.kml

More details and photos to follow, but for now here’s the route. Bit of a GPS error on mine, this is the definitive one – 135.6km.

http://jonworth.eu/trailrunner/TWWDFLF.gpx

No race next week as it’s European Council in Brussels (these damned leaders spoil everyone’s fun), but I’ll be back on the wheels in a fortnight.

http://jonworth.eu/trailrunner/3LLWNFY.kml

I’m not enough of a shit to play the sprints correctly during Belgium Rollers – a bunch of annoying kids who think they are fast push themselves towards the front, they flag after 500m, and block the way. If you can’t manage at least 28km/h for a couple of kilometres then don’t stick yourself at the front! Anyway, next week I’ll be in even better form.

These events are also rather strange from a social point of view – a whole bunch of people skating there are a kind of francophone skating posse who all know each other and are the marshals of the skate. Beyond that only one couple spoke to me thoughout the whole event – some people who were learners who wanted to learn how to brake. Plus I cannot just go and start speaking to complete strangers while skating…

Anyway, it was good exercise, and I’ll be back next week.

http://jonworth.eu/trailrunner/3MEKPLP.gpx

The picture is from lap 8 of Sunday’s Montréal Roller Marathon. Ouch, what a race.

First of all, the weather – 6 degrees at the start, and very windy. The race is around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – on an island in the St Lawrence river. Hence little protection from the wind.

Secondly, there were only 197 participants, and more than half of those were rather professional. So apart from lap 2 I failed to find a group of skaters to work with against the wind – all the groups were just too fast for me. This basically meant that the race was like a 42km time trial in windy conditions… hence the rather poor time of 1:50, 15 minutes off my personal best from Berlin last year. Full results are here.

Anyway, lessons learnt from this race… I’ll do better next time!

I had set the target of 45 minutes, yet it was clear this was not going to be reached right from the start – more than 5km due west from Unter den Linden through Tiergarten into a strongish headwind. The south section, particularly towards Potsdamer Platz was the highlight – excellent quality of the tarmac and plenty of skaters of a similar level.

I must however admit that I don’t yet have the tactics right for these races. Unlike the marathon last September this time I did manage to join some groups of skaters, but there was no real communication within the groups about speed and strategy. As I recall from cycle training as a 14 year old you are supposed to split the responsibility at the front of a group so you take turns against the wind; I tried this a couple of times, but the others failed to follow.

Anyway, here’s the map of the race and I’m heading to bed for an early night after a successful start to the season!

http://jonworth.eu/trailrunner/4YRELJN.gpx

Kid on bike - CC / Flickr

It was a grey yet dry day in Brussels; time to put my inline skates on for the first time this year and skate more than 24km between Delacroix Metro (line 2, in Brussels) as far as Beersel in Flanders, and back. I had intended to go as far as Hal but my thighs and behind were burning like hell so I had to restrict things a bit. Still it was more than half marathon distance, and with the Berlin Half Marathon coming up 5th April it was useful training.

But, frankly, I am quite lucky to be back home in one piece. I was on the way back from Buizingen with a strongish tail wind on the flattest, smoothest section of the canal approaching Ruisbroek. A family with 2 parents and 2 kids were ahead and I shouted to warn them I was approaching. The father ensured all four cyclists were in line on the right of the cycle path which is about 3m wide. Then, just as I’m overtaking, the smaller child veers sharply to the left into my path just a few metres in front of me. At a speed approaching 30 km/h and with less than 1 metre between the kid and I there was no way to swerve and go past.

So I shouted once more ‘Attention!’ at the top of my voice and – luckily enough – the kid veered again to the right and out of my path… and then fell off his bike! Feeling I had caused the problem I stopped and returned to the family who – of course – were Flemish. So not only had I managed to make their kid fall off his bike, but then I had spoken to them in the wrong language. How EVIL! OK, I think I was still in Flanders at that point, and hence was in the wrong. But I felt genuinely guilty (although the accident was not strictly my fault) and had no way of patching things up other than to make the family more angry. Very frustrating.

Still, it was good to skate for the first time this calendar year and with 6 weeks until the half marathon I’ll looking forward to being on top form!

http://jonworth.eu/trailrunner/4DYGQR6.gpx

A fine sunny autumn day, flat and fast roads, and I managed the 41.129km of the Berlin Inline Marathon in a total time of 1 hour 35 minutes. Considering I had hoped for 1 hour 50 minutes I’m rather pleased with that. I think it’s something to do with the extra adrenalin of skating in a group. Having never skated a marathon before I was in start group H, the very last group, so was only overtaking people the whole way. I’ll be back next year, fitter and stronger, with the aim of managing an even better time. Today has been the climax of a perfect summer of skating!

I just wonder how best to make progress from here… I saw no person from a Belgian speed skating club at the marathon (and there were clubs from all over the place) and finding others to skate with (fast!) would be fun and also the best way to improve further.

[UPDATE 29.09.08]
Result now confirmed – 01:35:14, average speed 26.59km/h, place 1432 of the 3580 finishers in the Men Fitness category. Not bad for a first ever marathon!