Thursday, March 25, 2010
Circuit Run - this Sunday
Second competition this weekend, the Zandvoort Circuit run, should be good.
Starting number: 9995
Only slight issue might be that I have not done any running since the half marathon! Yikes. So tonight I'm planning on running a few laps in the park to see how that goes, also Saturday I'll do a short run. Should be fine as this one is only 12 KMs. The height differences make this one a little more chanllenging than running 12 KMs in, say, the Amsterdamse Bos which is mainly flat. Anyway, not to worry, will own this one.
Starting number: 9995
Only slight issue might be that I have not done any running since the half marathon! Yikes. So tonight I'm planning on running a few laps in the park to see how that goes, also Saturday I'll do a short run. Should be fine as this one is only 12 KMs. The height differences make this one a little more chanllenging than running 12 KMs in, say, the Amsterdamse Bos which is mainly flat. Anyway, not to worry, will own this one.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
The sweet sweet taste of victory!!
Yeah baby YEAH!
Completed the City Pier City half marathon in the Hague yesterday in 2:12. W00T W00T!
Here are the official results of my race.
Here is my Garmin data on the race.
Turned out to be a fantastic day, sun shining, 15,000 people running and a lot of support (music, people cheering etc) along the way. Next to that, I had a great supporting crew in my wife, Wietske, (who biked the majority along the way to cheer me on) my parents and the supporters of my buddy Joop who I ran with. Well, I actually didn't really run with him as he did it in 1:54 so he was much quicker than I was, as I knew he would. But man, cool to have done it, as this was a first milestone towards the NYC marathon in November. Below a summary of the day.
I started the day relaxed with a good breakfast (bordje Brinta, some yoghurt with banana etc), before heading off to my buddy to take the car to the Hague. We crashed at his sister who lives downtown the Hague, fantastic place! The start of the race was only at 14.30, so we had lunch at his sisters house, changed into our running gear and headed to the start by bike at around 14.00. At that point my wife and Wietske had taken the train from Amsterdam to the Hague, taking their bikes on train and had made it to Joop's sister's house as well. Fun to soak up some of the atmosphere at the start, lots of runners, music, food and drink there. I really got in the mood at that point. Five minutes before the start we made it to our starting area, and on exactly 14.30 we heard the starting shot fired (LOUD!) That gave a real buzz and adrenaline rush amongst all the runners, as it now was gonna happen. It still took another 5 minutes to get moving as we were all the way in the back. Pretty cold day (7 degrees C), and slightly miserable to start out with, but really cleared up and got sunny. Excellent!
So off we went for the first KM's of the race, tons and tons of runners all around, so you had to watch your step. Nice route all through the Hague, so lots to see. Before I knew it we were at the 10 KM mark (at exactly 1 hour running), whoaa, that went quick! Still feeling great, so cool. Joop was way in front at this point and I ended up running with a stranger who had the same rhythm, chit chatting along the way. I found my excellent supporters cheering hard at various points along the route and had also spotted my parents, really helps during the run! :) The guy I ran with dropped off so I kept going at my own pace. Hey, we're already in Scheveningen, I can see the sea and the Pier, nice! 15 KMs done and still feeling good, although my heartrate was a little higher than usual. But man, I think I'm gonna make it! Fenna and Wietske biking along and cheering on, and I'm still laughing and talking with them.
But ofcourse, it had to happen, it was going too well. At the 18 KM mark with only 3 more to go I could feel my legs giving in, they were hurting, and hurting real bad! Nothing more to do than to suck it up and keep going. The thing that motivated me at this point was that many folks around me were walking, and that was not an option for me (although the idea of walking and resting seemed sooooo nice). I didn;t even walk to drink along the way, so I'm not gonna walk now. Keep going, and fight the voice in your head screaming at you to stop running. And then...... yes, YES, I can see the finish line, whoohoo, enjoy these last few hundred meters, listen to the cheering, oh yeah, and remember to smile at the finish! You did it dude, cool stuff!! :) As soon as I stopped running past the finishline I thought the legs would give in. It was here where I realised just how bad the legs were hurting, all cramped up and stiff. Not nice, no. Bumped into Joop who had waited for me and already picked up some energy drinks for me and looked like he hadn't even run at all today, bastard! High fives all around, got our medals and a heatsheet to keep warm and then made our way to the exit where we would see our proud supporters including my parents.After that biked back to the sister's house for a lovely meal and savouring the moment. Thanks to Karen and Jop for the hospitality!
So excellent day, and cool to have done it. Its now the day after and I can tell you that I'm still hurting bad. Didn't get the good night sleep that I had hoped and longed for, but still feeling a good sense of accomplishment. I'm walking like a stick but it was worth it.
In 2 weeks I have another competition in Zandvoort, but that one is only 12 KMs so should be fun to do! Signing out for now! Pics to follow soon.
Completed the City Pier City half marathon in the Hague yesterday in 2:12. W00T W00T!
Here are the official results of my race.
Here is my Garmin data on the race.
Turned out to be a fantastic day, sun shining, 15,000 people running and a lot of support (music, people cheering etc) along the way. Next to that, I had a great supporting crew in my wife, Wietske, (who biked the majority along the way to cheer me on) my parents and the supporters of my buddy Joop who I ran with. Well, I actually didn't really run with him as he did it in 1:54 so he was much quicker than I was, as I knew he would. But man, cool to have done it, as this was a first milestone towards the NYC marathon in November. Below a summary of the day.
I started the day relaxed with a good breakfast (bordje Brinta, some yoghurt with banana etc), before heading off to my buddy to take the car to the Hague. We crashed at his sister who lives downtown the Hague, fantastic place! The start of the race was only at 14.30, so we had lunch at his sisters house, changed into our running gear and headed to the start by bike at around 14.00. At that point my wife and Wietske had taken the train from Amsterdam to the Hague, taking their bikes on train and had made it to Joop's sister's house as well. Fun to soak up some of the atmosphere at the start, lots of runners, music, food and drink there. I really got in the mood at that point. Five minutes before the start we made it to our starting area, and on exactly 14.30 we heard the starting shot fired (LOUD!) That gave a real buzz and adrenaline rush amongst all the runners, as it now was gonna happen. It still took another 5 minutes to get moving as we were all the way in the back. Pretty cold day (7 degrees C), and slightly miserable to start out with, but really cleared up and got sunny. Excellent!
So off we went for the first KM's of the race, tons and tons of runners all around, so you had to watch your step. Nice route all through the Hague, so lots to see. Before I knew it we were at the 10 KM mark (at exactly 1 hour running), whoaa, that went quick! Still feeling great, so cool. Joop was way in front at this point and I ended up running with a stranger who had the same rhythm, chit chatting along the way. I found my excellent supporters cheering hard at various points along the route and had also spotted my parents, really helps during the run! :) The guy I ran with dropped off so I kept going at my own pace. Hey, we're already in Scheveningen, I can see the sea and the Pier, nice! 15 KMs done and still feeling good, although my heartrate was a little higher than usual. But man, I think I'm gonna make it! Fenna and Wietske biking along and cheering on, and I'm still laughing and talking with them.
But ofcourse, it had to happen, it was going too well. At the 18 KM mark with only 3 more to go I could feel my legs giving in, they were hurting, and hurting real bad! Nothing more to do than to suck it up and keep going. The thing that motivated me at this point was that many folks around me were walking, and that was not an option for me (although the idea of walking and resting seemed sooooo nice). I didn;t even walk to drink along the way, so I'm not gonna walk now. Keep going, and fight the voice in your head screaming at you to stop running. And then...... yes, YES, I can see the finish line, whoohoo, enjoy these last few hundred meters, listen to the cheering, oh yeah, and remember to smile at the finish! You did it dude, cool stuff!! :) As soon as I stopped running past the finishline I thought the legs would give in. It was here where I realised just how bad the legs were hurting, all cramped up and stiff. Not nice, no. Bumped into Joop who had waited for me and already picked up some energy drinks for me and looked like he hadn't even run at all today, bastard! High fives all around, got our medals and a heatsheet to keep warm and then made our way to the exit where we would see our proud supporters including my parents.After that biked back to the sister's house for a lovely meal and savouring the moment. Thanks to Karen and Jop for the hospitality!
So excellent day, and cool to have done it. Its now the day after and I can tell you that I'm still hurting bad. Didn't get the good night sleep that I had hoped and longed for, but still feeling a good sense of accomplishment. I'm walking like a stick but it was worth it.
In 2 weeks I have another competition in Zandvoort, but that one is only 12 KMs so should be fun to do! Signing out for now! Pics to follow soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)