This is probably my last run before the marathon. It felt good and easy, time was 43:29 (8:41 pace). Flying out tonight. My main concern now is not to tire my legs out at the expo tomorrow - I love marathon expos and tend to wander around longer than I should.
Another big concern is the weather. Opposite to Boston, Rotterdam is forecasted to be very warm and sunny, with temps in the 70s, and given 11 AM start, we're bound to run at the peak of it. I've never run a marathon in such warm conditions, although I trained for one in the summer in NJ. Looks like my time goal is going out the window, and my adjusted goal may be to run faster than 3:45 to qualify for London next year (and Boston). They're introducing new drinking system this year, where water cups will have sponge lids on them with 2 cut-outs for drinking. This should allow for less spilling and using the sponge lids as, well...sponges. Sounds interesting, but water stations are only every 3 miles, which may not be enough in the hot weather (although it looks like they are adding 2 more stations - see below).
Today I received the following from Rotterdam marathon:
Weather forecast: Very warm! This Sunday the weather forecast shows us temperatures over 20◦C/ 68F. The organization has decided to take extra measures, additional to the common facilities alongside the course.
Extra measures At the start on the Coolsingel you will receive a water bottle from the organization. Drink the bottle approximately 5-10 minutes before the start of the event. Alongside the course there will be extra drinking posts (27.5K and 32.5K). Don’t miss one. Also there are two water sprinkler situated at the 25.5K and 38K. Click on this link for more info about the extra measures.
Weather bulletins On the website of the event you can check the information about the weather (with up-to-date weather bulletins).
Run safely! Don’t hesitate to modify you running schedule and adapt it to the weather conditions. Running a marathon is a remarkable effort on itself. Enjoy the race, but listen to your body very carefully. On the official website you will find more information about health advice concerning the race. We advice you to read the information carefully! We wish you lots of success this Sunday! We hope you enjoy 27th edition of the Fortis Marathon Rotterdam! See you in Rotterdam.
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