May

[El Gordo]

Fab report as ever -- lots of texture and detail to mull over. Sounds like the Brussels 20K is one to file away as a possible for the future.

I think the reason that some slowbies start high up the field is that they think there's less chance of getting left behind. It makes no sense at all if if only they did the maths, but they don't do the maths. I did this once myself, in my first ever race -- the Reading Half in 2002. I feared I would finish last, so thought that starting high up the field would help to prevent that. It's a selfish thought, but probably typical of newbies.

We had a long weekend in Brussels a few years ago, and surprised ourselves. It's something of an ignored city when it comes to tourism. The big European cities further south seem to get the top billing. But Brusells is a fantastic place for a break. Anywhere that puts frites, mayonnaise, chocolate and beer so high up their list of priorities can't be at all bad. Admittedly they're not terribly runner-friendly, but perfect for post-race reward.

1:48 is more than respectable in those conditions, so well done.

I'll bookmark the thread in the sidebar once I've worked out the best way to do this.