So what does a cocky runner look like, ready to take on the world? Pretty much like this. What does that same runner look like when he still has seven miles to go in a marathon, feels like total ass, knows that he has no chance of running a good time, and feels like a lobster in a pot of boiling water? Pretty much like this.
More pictures here....
Ok, last discussion about the marathon, and then it is time to get on with my life. I compared my results of this year with last year's and it is not all that bad. I actually came in 1470th compared to last year's 1585th. A deceiving stat though, since I was in the first wave start this year and got a four minute jump start on the majority of the field. A lot of the runners coming in within five mins. after me actually had a faster time, probably about 70 runners or so (rough count) placed behind me but ran faster than I did. Also a lot of the American elite runners were not running because of Olympic trials (let's for the sake of argument assume they would have finished before me, a stretch, I know), so I am roughly at the same spot I was last year. The idea was to make progress, but I do think that lanky guys such as myself have more of a heat disadvantage than some of those pocket runners, so I'll give myself the benefit of the doubt. Someone has to do it....
And ok, one more stat, and as far as I am concerned, the most important one. Notice how this year I was the 1080th male out of 4397 male finshers compared to last year's 1285th position out of 5179 male finishers Quite the difference in number of finishers, no? This year, just like last year, there were 10.500 runners at the start. I downloaded the official results. Number of finishers in 2006 (also a pretty hot marathon): 8200 (men and women). Number of finishers in 2007: 7200. So 3300 runners did not cross the finish line, can't say that I have not thought about joining that group. Last year, when I hit the wall around mile 21, the choice was easy, toughing it out, running on guts and all that crap, you are almost there and still in the hunt for a good time . This year, around mile 15 I was pretty spent, with still 11 miles to go and knowing that things would only get worse from there on, it took a lot more willpower to keep going. Thought about it a couple of times, really, just stepping out of the course and lay in the grass for a while and go home, rather than endure the shame of finishing in a time well below my lowest expectations. It sounded really really appealing, and it would have been a great way to save face. "I got heat exhaustion, started feeling dizzy, did not want to risk my health and I quit," who would have blamed me? Now, forgive me for being un-Flemish and drop the modesty for a second, but I am really glad that I did not do that, that I had the little voice in my head that said "fuck no - no quitting today, no matter what." And to be honest, the picture of myself I posted above, taken at mile nineteen by heather (I was walking towards her to tell her how dead I was), I kinda like it for that reason. Yes, it does not depict me striding along at a great pace as I wished I had at mile 19, but it was more or less the point of the race at which I realized that I was going to finish no matter what. I like the Fuck-No-ness of that picture, "Fuck no, no quitting today." And really,
more than running a 3:30, 3:45 or 4:08, is digging deep and finding the "fuck no" voice inside yourself not what running a marathon is all about? Or is that just a slowpoke's loser talk?
Bastiaan Vanacker 2006
overall 1585
division 178/718
gender 1285/5179
5K 24:58
10K 50:23
half 1:46:48
30 k2:33:18
20 mile 2:44:57
full: 3:44:37
Bastiaan Vanacker 2007
Overall: 1470
division 142/641
gender 1080/4397
5k 24:29
10K 49:20
half 1:45:51
20 K 2:44:42
20 mile 2:59:26
full: 4:08:52