Well that was disappointing!

Just returned from what was to be a leisurely 57 minute run and I tell you what, I felt like I was right back to the start two months ago! :[ That did not go well at all. I thought a weeks break would do me good but the opposite is true.

Pain in my ankle again (when will that stop hurting???). Panting like crazy, heart rate through the roof, legs felt like they weighed a ton each...... my god that was gnarly.... I only ran about 1 lap and walked the other lap, while trying to run intermittently. Even whilst walking my heart rate was a good 120 BPM?!

Not sure what happened there but whatever, at least I got out there again and started week 6 on my schedule, hoping the other runs this week will go a little better. On Friday I'll do 2 x 20 minutes fartlek, and on Sunday I'll run for 62 minutes in my usual pace. I might try to run the Bosbaan track in Amsterdam then.

Alright, where were we?

So folks, after a week of not running and coming home to a flue and chickenpox infested home this weekend :( I'll be picking up my schedule as of today. Come rain or shine!

I'll be starting week 6 today, and the time and mileage is still increasing nicely by means of this schedule. Wonder if I'll notice the week outage.... Can't handle many more weeks of delay otherwise I will not be ready in time for the half marathon scheduled for 14 March, the Fortis CPC half marathon 2010 . Unfortunately, the choice of food in the past week has not been "marathonly correct" but hey, we'll just have to lose that as we pick it up again. So long!

Had to happen....

So unfortunately, there's been no running at all this week due to the fact that I'm still suffering from a major cold, cough and headaches intermittently. So its'now Friday and I've not done one run all week (should have been well into week 6, but as it stands I now need to start week 6). I guess it had to happen and I'm planning my first run this weekend, when I'll hopefully be back on my feet. Traveling (I'm now in glamorous Bracknell, UK) hasn't helped either as my days are packed and evenings filled with the mandatory team dinners and partner meetings......) As of next week things will have settled down I hope. See you then! :)

Difficult running

Completed two runs in two days but must admit, they've been the most difficult to date. Probably partly due to the fact that I'm still not 100% well (coughing, got a slight cold, feel tired), but also due to the fact that both runs have been accompanied by common running pains (shin splints, sore knees, sore hips and sore tendons). Not good and probably need to be a bit careful as I don't want the injuries to get worse -- meaning weeks of no running! Will take a two day rest to see if it gets better.

Half way - week 4 complete

Completed week 4 (had to catchup a run I missed last week, so actually doing 4 runs this week), feeling a little under the weather so wasn't a great 60 minute run. Chose to run along the lit, car filled street of the 17th of July, all the way to the Bundestag, through the Brandenburg Tor and back again to the hotel. Even though it wasn't a great run, I still enjoyed being out there. Something almost therapeutic about making the miles, great to clear the head and get some energy. Back out there tomorrow, to do a faster albeit little shorter run. Distance wise I should be covering the same ground but might look for some new scenery along the more quieter park roads. Hopefully, that cough and lingering cold will be further gone tomorrow..... Looking forward to coming home to Amsterdam and the fam though...... :)

Historic running in Berlin

Hello from Berlin! Will be here all week and exciting to be here in such a historic week. It is the 20th anniversary of the Berlin wall coming down (today on the 9th of November). So lots of ceremonies happening all around, with the climax tonight at the Brandenburger Tor.

Having arrived yesterday in time to complete my scheduled run for the day I pretty much headed straight out to the park after dropping my gear at the hotel. The hotel is almost in the Tiergarten park, Berlin's green lung. The park is huge with a few marked runs, so that's great. The only downside is that the majority of the park is not lit at night, and with dusk coming so quick it's hard to see early on where you are running. Moreover, there are quite a few major roads crossing the park, making it hard to keep your bearings and it also means you have to wait at the traffic lights.

Anyway, I managed to completed another fartlek run (2 x 20 mins) which went really well. Also ran right in front of the Brandenburger tor and the Reichstag which are beautiful buildings to see. Afterwards I went to see the sights in town by foot and must have walked for three hours so my legs and feet are pretty sore now. Must remember to take a cab next time! :)

Tomorrow is my next run, will try and make it out to the park a little earlier if possible.

A donkey never hits his head three times on the same stone.......

D'oh! Dumbass!

Did it again, ate only just a tad before my run yesterday because I was starving after I came home from work. It was enough to make me pretty uncomfortable the first lap, but luckily not enough to stop me from completing the task at hand! The weather was pretty appaling, with intermittent showers and a low 10 degrees. But my gear did hold up (still in shorts, technical shirt and waterproof windbreaker). This time too, I ran further and longer than I have and as long as I stick to the program and heartrate zone, its working! Ran for 57 minutes yesterday, so did two laps in the park the long way around (starting at the Casino at the park entrance and ran it all the way on the outside. Good stuff, but still a few annoying girls overtaking me in twice the speed whilst happily chitchatting about, well, stuff that girls chitchat about. Oh well.

Anyway, will miss out one run off the schedule this week (so only doing 2) because of a very busy schedule and horrible weather/lightning. Me running in that was an idea that scared the crap of my lovely better half, so I decided to keep her happy and stay in. Next week as I'll be in Berlin, I can catch up the run and do four, so I should still stay on schedule!

Arrividerci amigos!

Berlin - Tiergarten Run

No matter where you are in the world, you can always find a park or forest or other area to go running. As I'll be in Berlin all of next week I decided to Google where I could continue my training runs. Low and behold, right next to the hotel I'm staying is the Tiergarten, Berlin's central park!

And I found a nice 7.7 KM run that also provides some major sight seeing! I'm chuffed! =]

(The red dot on the map below is next to my hotel!)

This is one of the few places where you can combine sport and sightseeing! While the southern part of the track runs through the green lung of Berlin - the Tiergarten - the northern part passes the most famous government buildings, such as the Reichstag and the Bellevue Palace, home of the German president.

You can best start from the Hansaviertel (the red point on the left on the map). The route passes by the new Ministry of the Interior and Schloss Bellevue (Bellevue Palace), official seat of the German Federal President. Next comes a group of residences for government employees commonly referred to as the "Bundesschlange" ("Federal Snake"), and finally the "Band des Bundes" with its solitary buildings: the administration buildings of the German Parliament, the German Parliament "Reichstag", and the new Federal Chancellery. Then enter back in the Tiergarten, Berlin’s "Central Park", which takes you back to the Hansaplatz.

The track: The total length is about 7.7km, bringing you back to the departure point. Within the Tiergarten you can vary the tracks of course, the one indicated serves just as a reference. It is mainly on large tracks or small asphalted roads, and the relief is essentially flat. 

Credits to: http://www.runningmaps.eu

It's official, NYC 2010 registration completed!

=] =] Great, wish me luck for the lottery in March! I'm already making a back-up plan as I hear lots of folks don't get in with their first lottery. So already checking what it would cost if I book through one of the official Dutch travel agencies who have guaranteed entry tickets as part of the package.

Third week finished, and moving nicely along!

Ninth run of the schedule now officially under my belt and starting week four of the first 8 week training schedule. And like every time, this run too is proof of improvement. Completed a 52 minute run at ease and in that time did two laps and almost made it back home from the park, whereas last time I only made it across the park twice. So great to see the heartrate is coming down on the longer runs!

Watched a good bit of the NYC Marathon yesterday (unfortunately on the net, as the only channel to show some was Eurosport, and only for about an hour) and was inspired by the 45,000 folks who started the run. And with everyone who completed the run came a story of why they participated; be it to celebrate life, to reach a momentous goal, to raise money for charity or simply to have a great time with 2 million supporters en-route. And the Dutch were well represented with almost 2,000 kloggies running, including our own NYC Marathon 6-timer Pieter Christiaan van Oranje (van Vollenhoven) who did it in 3:34! Nice one! Weird and still almost unreal that I'll be there next year, but if things keep going as they do, why the hell not!!!

Also, as of today I should be able to enroll for the 2010 NYC Marathon, yes sir!

Check out the 2009 start on the Verrazano bridge below, how impressive is that! Insane!

Motivation!

Some signs that folks have been showing along the NYC marathon last year  =]

• "Run like an angry Kenyan." 
• "You are doing it all wrong!"
  
• "Your feet hurt because you are kicking so much ASS!"
• "Don't stop -- people are watching."
• "That's not sweat, it's your fat cells crying."
• "If it was easy, I would do it."
• "Run like you stole something."
• "This is much easier than labor and delivery."
• "You're not slow. You're just enjoying the course."
• "Nipple chaffing turns me on!"
• "It'll feel better when it stops hurting."
• "If I ran it, by God, you can, too."

Have been doing some thinking about the goal I'm setting for completing next years race. Part of me thinks I should set a time goal on top of completing the marathon. But then again, I don't really mind how long I take next year, as long as I'm faster than this guy!

NYC Marathon Street Scenes

 Nice slideshow of images from previous years, pretty amazing event!

Photo Gallery: NYC Marathon Street Scenes

Up tempo, one year to go!

Nice training run today, this time at an increased tempo (154 bpm max) but in a shorter time (42 mins). With the wintertime being in effect I'm guessing that the majority of my runs will be in the dark from now on. Doesn't really matter as the temperature is still great, roughly 15 degrees, so I can run in shorts and a longsleeve technical shirt. And with a glowing armband so people can see me coming. The run went really well, great to notice more improvements. I'm still being overtaken by girls and old people, but I actually overtook a few folks myself! :) :)

On the downside, I now experienced why you shouldn't eat right before your runs. Before going out tonight, decided I needed to eat just a little to tame the monster inside (it was already 18.00) but about 4 minutes before the end of my run I got intense cramps and almost needed to head into the bushes to get rid of the indigestion....not nice so wont be doing that again.

This weekend is the 2009 NYC marathon so it's now only a year away until I'll be at the start. Kind of exciting so I'm hoping to catch the broadcast on TV or on the net. Also, from the 2nd of November I can register for the entry lottery of the marathon (no guaranteed entry) so I'll be one of the first to sign up! If I don't get in that way, there are two other options to get in. The first is to book a trip with an associated travel agency in the Netherlands, who also have entry passes included in the travel package. The other option is to choose an official charity and commit to raising dollars. The latter which I'll do anyway, but still deciding what to run for.

On the official marathon website there are some great daily tips and an excellent piece on course strategy to help prepare for the race..

Another week closer to running 42.195 KMs!

Just finished the last run of the second week training schedule, a 52 minute run in the Vondelpark. And best of all, I'm running farther in the same time than I have before! :) Completed 2 full laps and ran all the way home from the park in the same time with the same heartbeat, improvement I'd say! Moreover, the sprains and pains in my feet were not getting worse, so thats also good news. I decided to take an extra day rest before heading out again and that helped. Already lost 4 Kgs by the way, good stuff!

On another high note, Jopie now started running as well which is good. I was kinda expecting to see this guy show up at the half-marathon unprepared but I think he is taking it seriously so that's good. Don't think I'll see him using schedules to prepare but hey, he'll pull it off as usual! Moreover, he is keen to add the competitive element and promised that if I run the half-marathon faster than he does in March that he'll run NYC with me, now there's an incentive! :)

This week holds more longer runs but also a faster run, anxious to see how that will go......

Fartlek no. 1

Completed my first scheduled fartlek run yesterday (no snickering!) , which was a little tougher than I anticipated. Fartlek means you are running at different speeds and in many cases faster than I have been running. If you train in the dunes or do a hilly run you will get the same results, but as the park is flat flat flat you need to do it by running at different speeds.

I only ran for 30 mins yesterday, but it was quite a challenge. On top of that I think I may have sprained my ankle ever so slightly so need to take care that it doesn't get worse. :( So all in all a nice run but way more out of breath than I've been sor far. Max heartrate only went up to 160 so not too bad. I can really notice the improvements though, running faster and longer than I have been doing so far! Next run on Saturday or Sunday with Joop, shall be fun!

Zandvoort Circuit Run - 28 March 2010

Right, keep moving nicely along! My second "competitive" run will be the Zandvoort Circuit Run, a 12 KM run starting in the Pitlane of the Zandvoort Circuit, covering the racing circuit, the boulevard and beach and then back to the circuit. This one is taking place 2 weeks after the City-Pier-City run in the Hague. At this point I should be way fine running this distance, it seemed like a fun one to cover. The top athletes run it in 37 mins, I'll probably take a good hour for this one.

Check the route map to see this unusual run over the race track and beach.

I just registered for it so there's no way back! :)

City-Pier-City Run - 14 March 2010

Exciting stuff! My first competition will be a half-marathon in March next year, namely the City-Pier-City Run in the Hague. To make things more fun, my good pal Joop has agreed to run this one with me, which should make it all the more eventful. It also means that I now have the proverbial stick behind the door (Dutch saying) and that I'm actually building up all this mileage this early for a good cause.

Check out the CPC race route, which to be honest, still seems a little daunting!

From November onwards I can sign us both up. Now all I need to do is keep training, also during the difficult December month and in much colder temperatures. So hopefully I'll stay injury free to be ready in time.

Wish me luck!

Getting started on week 2.

Completed my first scheduled run for this week with ease. 52 minutes running in total, again at a slow pace / heart rate. Nice running weather albeit a bit colder (10 C) so I did get tricked into putting my thin rainrepellant windbreaker on, which quickly proved too hot. So I guess its true what they say about going out for a run when the weather is getting colder, which is to wear less than you'd think. I'm wearing shorts and a longsleeve technical shirt with a cotton t-shirt under it. More than fine.

All in all pretty sore upperleg muscles, I guess the tennis matches on Monday night might be a little demanding. Might consider throwing the schedule around for now, but we'll see. Starting to stretch more during and after the runs which help. Moreover, the legs need to start getting used to running more so should be easier as we go.

Good to have completed the first week! Getting started is usually the biggest hurdle to take!

Oh, and I have stiff competition!! Just heard that my good friend Keti is also running next years NYC Marathon, fun! :)

Observations of a beginning runner

A couple observations and learnings after my first weeks running:

1. Note to self: Athlete's Foot, Tennis Elbow and Housemaid's Knee are nothing compared to "Jogger's Nipple." That'll teach me for running in a shirt with a logo on it!
2. My marathon training is not as spontaneous as you might expect: I really feel like I must research it, study it and truly understand it so I don't get hurt and more importantly, so I will be finishing next year! So I'm doing lots of reading up in books and online. 
3. Each week I'm enjoying my runs, knowing that I've run further than ever before in my life. That really motivates me to keep going. And that aged 34!
   
4. Develop a game plan and stick to it! Its all about the preparation and sticking to a plan that seems to work for you. While there is tons of advice and plans to go with, they all seem to share lots of commonalities. So I've picked a conservative one and got going. So far so good.
   
5. REST! All the experts, books and online literature suggest that taking ample time to recover during the week is the key to not getting injured. I'm eager to get out and start increasing the mileage but that's how lots of people get into trouble so I keep telling myself to take this slow. Also, I do feel a little sore in my knees, hips and feet after the runs so thats probably also a good indicator..... ;)
   

Didn't read tip 1 from Hal Higdon below! :)