#ThisRunAmsterdam

It's just finished The marathon has ended It's aimed at defeating the coronavirus October isn't feasible due to the one-and-a-half-meter distancing rules And for society as a whole we cannot avoid coming together to make this sacrifice This year Marden is especially special because it's a virtual race It's certainly fantastic having such a race with so many people lining the streets I'll definitely miss that That it's still possible after all is even more important When you run your first marathon you're naturally very nervous I'm not really against you You have to fight against yourself Now is the moment in my life when I can prove I’m capable of achieving that inhuman feat The first half of a marathon is always the easiest part I'm mentally trying to maintain a certain distance from blocks I'm attempting to control From then on I focused much more on my breathing and my pace But once I'm fully immersed in that flow there's also room to let my thoughts wander freely In the second half it's a moment of struggle After 30 kilometers you feel like dropping the ball It gets hot and then you're exhausted Your body and your mind are at odds with each other You just have to push through it In the end your body will prevail and cooperate That you think oh I can handle that It teaches you that you can achieve far more than you think and that you can overcome the world I feel tremendous support when they say yes I'll do it I'm going to do it You need to make sure you shift that boundary forward again just a little bit further than last time When you finish your marathon all the pain fades into memory That brings an immense sense of accomplishment Truly inspiring and beautiful experiences—truly one-of-a-kind At the end of the day it still feels like a hamster on a wheel