MADNESS SETS IN

Weight: 80 kilos
Time spent running since 15 November: 1 hour 45 minutes
Distance run since 15 November: 16.8 kilometers
Time left: 21 weeks

I had already heard rumours about the Rotterdam Marathon sponsoring the organisation I work for. On Monday, a colleague from Amsterdam confirmed this and indicated that in his office they's get a group of runners together. True to my character - in my mind I'm still in my early twenties and my body has unlimited potential - I said I'd be there too. Should have thought a bit before opening my mouth. But it's done and there's really no way back without losing face.

Thing is that I had already promised myself to do a marathon before turning 50, in early 2009. I do a bit of running, or I should say that I have been doing a bit of running of late, but as I'm more of a sprinter than a person who can just keep going it takes gigantic determination and stamina to even keep running for 40 minutes. So the 5 hours I'll need for 42+ kilometers is going to be hell. And I don't mean that as a figure of speech; I think the marathon is where people go who have been bad.

On Wednesday and Friday I used my lunch breaks for running a bit over 5 kilometers. The circuit is rugged, with sandy lanes going through the forest around the Chalet de Laerbeek and a kilometer of steady incline about halfway. It took me 33'12" on Wednesday and 31'55" on Friday. Today I went to the gym - it's been raining a fair bit so my outdoor tracks in the park are muddy - and did 40 minutes at 10k/h. Please come back for future postings, which will most likely be weekly, and I promise to bore you stiff with many more of such silly details.

But there should be other stuff as well. For instance, I have no clue how I am going to combine the rigorous training schedule needed for getting ready in time with a demanding job, and with my family life that includes a gorgeous baby girl. Already I don't find time to get the battery in my Polar watch changed; really need to do that as I want to keep an eye on my heart rate while training.