2:05:33

Not bad at all. Great weather, fantastic organisation, nice route.

I started with a slow kilometer (6:40), as I had to dive into the bushes to take a leak. After that, for a long time my k's were 5:40 and occasionally 5:30. My calf hurt a bit, but I managed to ignore it. At 5k: 29:26 (half a minute too slow). At 10k: 57:16 (three-quarters of a minute under my target). At 15k: 1:25:57 (two minutes faster than foreseen). When I passed the 16k point in under 1:32, I was doing an average that would have brought me very close to two hours flat at the finish.

But then it hit. First, the pain. My calf decided that this was enough and that I had to stop now. From here on, almost every step hurt. Then, the fatigue. I could hardly breathe and all my muscles went on strike. So I struggled on for another five kilometers, bits of walking alternated with slow jogs.

Yet, I finished well inside my target time (2:08) and have reason to be happy. It was the first race since August. No trace any more of the hernia. I can build on this.

Next up, in two weeks, a 16k run in nearby Tervuren. Almost entirely through the forest and very hilly. A good one for testing my strength.