GETTING BACK ON TRACK
Weight: 79 kilos
Time spent running since 15 November: 29 hours 24 minutes
Distance run since 15 November: 281.2 kilometers
Time left: 11 weeks
Bit by bit it becomes clear that my training goals (100 hours / 900 kilometers) are way too ambitious. All the more so since my trip to Malaysia brought my running to an almost complete standstill, and I have a fair bit of trouble since to pick it up again.
But I'm getting there. Sunday was okay with a two-hours run in the forest to the east of Brussels' city centre. Yet, I did not make my training target of 170 minutes, partly because I got complete lost on dirt tracks among the trees and found myself, after 124 minutes on my Polar watch, ankle deep in the mud with no indication of which direction my car could be. I managed to find it back half an hour later.
Had a nice beat on my iPod. I found this PodRunner site that offers one-hours downloads of music mixes in which the beats per minute are constant. I ran with 135 bpm, which was slightly too slow but still helped me get into the mythical Zone for at least 40 minutes or so. It made the pain of the effort more bearable.
Back home, many of my muscles hurt badly, particularly in my lower back, upper legs and ankles. And, for the first time with my Asics trainers, I had grown a blister on the inside of my foot.
Two bits of good news though. One is that proof of my registration for the Rotterdam marathon arrived in the mail. I seem to be number 7830 (if on April 15 you watch the marathon, try to spot me. It may be tough though as I guess the cameras and race officials and most spectators will have long left by the time I come stumbling towards the finish line). The other bit of good news is that Vincent has signed up as well. He is faster than me, but at the very least we'll be able to share our stories of heroic pain with someone who understands.
Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Thursday, 18 January 2007
INTERMEZZO
No running update this week. With my trip to KL the running has taken a seat far in the back, I would say almost inside the trunk. I've squeezed out 27 minutes yesterday, but that's been all in a week's time. And it actually feels good, this little break from my ambitious training programme.
Instead, here's what I bought this evening at the Cold Storage supermarket, across the road in the Bangsar Shopping Centre:
- A pack of sushi (9 pieces)
- 8 plain buns
- 2 cans of Seasons soy bean milk
- a 6pack of Tiger
- a piece of Old Amsterdam cheese
- a piece of Metaghini Taleggio cheese
- a liter-pack of Goodday fresh milk
- a liter-pack of Fruit Tree Fresh sorsop juice with nata de coco
- today's Malay Mail
It cost me 97.51 MYR.
Back to running, and boring you with stories about running, next week. I promise. Really.
No running update this week. With my trip to KL the running has taken a seat far in the back, I would say almost inside the trunk. I've squeezed out 27 minutes yesterday, but that's been all in a week's time. And it actually feels good, this little break from my ambitious training programme.
Instead, here's what I bought this evening at the Cold Storage supermarket, across the road in the Bangsar Shopping Centre:
- A pack of sushi (9 pieces)
- 8 plain buns
- 2 cans of Seasons soy bean milk
- a 6pack of Tiger
- a piece of Old Amsterdam cheese
- a piece of Metaghini Taleggio cheese
- a liter-pack of Goodday fresh milk
- a liter-pack of Fruit Tree Fresh sorsop juice with nata de coco
- today's Malay Mail
It cost me 97.51 MYR.
Back to running, and boring you with stories about running, next week. I promise. Really.
Sunday, 7 January 2007
NO WAY BACK?
Weight: 78 kilos
Time spent running since 15 November: 22 hours 27 minutes
Distance run since 15 November: 211.8 kilometers
Time left: 14 weeks
This week I have to be brief. It's late Sunday night and we just came back from Ermelo where we celebraetd my mother's birthday. And tomorrow I have to catch a 7am Eurostar train to London. I should sleep.
The big news is that I have signed up for the Rotterdam marathon! I postponed the deed many times, but on Friday my training schedule said "100 days to go" so I thought I should commit more firmly. I committed by credit card; if I don't make it I'll have lost a fair bit of money.
At a later stage I have to work out the logistics. I don't know anyone in Rotterdam, so there's no place for me to leave my stuff. Also, how will I travel? The train may be the safest option, as I'm not sure I'll be fit to drive an hour and a half after completing (or not completing...) the full 42 kilometer by foot.
Oh well, that's for later.
Meanwhile, my training is not going brilliantly. This week I ran less than 30k in total. As of Friday, I'll be in Malaysia for work and I doubt I'll get around to doing long runs there. I will try to do some, but the hard yakka will set in again in two weeks.
I should be able to write though.
Weight: 78 kilos
Time spent running since 15 November: 22 hours 27 minutes
Distance run since 15 November: 211.8 kilometers
Time left: 14 weeks
This week I have to be brief. It's late Sunday night and we just came back from Ermelo where we celebraetd my mother's birthday. And tomorrow I have to catch a 7am Eurostar train to London. I should sleep.
The big news is that I have signed up for the Rotterdam marathon! I postponed the deed many times, but on Friday my training schedule said "100 days to go" so I thought I should commit more firmly. I committed by credit card; if I don't make it I'll have lost a fair bit of money.
At a later stage I have to work out the logistics. I don't know anyone in Rotterdam, so there's no place for me to leave my stuff. Also, how will I travel? The train may be the safest option, as I'm not sure I'll be fit to drive an hour and a half after completing (or not completing...) the full 42 kilometer by foot.
Oh well, that's for later.
Meanwhile, my training is not going brilliantly. This week I ran less than 30k in total. As of Friday, I'll be in Malaysia for work and I doubt I'll get around to doing long runs there. I will try to do some, but the hard yakka will set in again in two weeks.
I should be able to write though.
Monday, 1 January 2007
AGAINST THE WIND
Weight: 79 kilos
Time spent running since 15 November: 19 hours 44 minutes
Distance run since 15 November: 183.8 kilometers
Time left: 15 weeks
The canal that connects Brussels with the sea, via Antwerp, passes not too far from our house. It was only a matter of time before I would go for a run along the water. And time had come on the last day of the year; I took off down the Leopold II boulevard and turned left at the bridge, for a less than scenic route past commercial ports and industrial estates.
Yet, and not counting the long wall that seperates the lonely runner and other mere mortals from the gardens and palace of the King and Queen of Belgium, there are two structures I saw along the canal that are worth mentioning. One is the huge complex called Tour et Taxis where many large exhibitions and festivals take place. It is not only overwhelmingly massive, the structure itself is a gorgeous testament to the days when construction involved lots of steel. Worth a visit any time. Sadly, I found it hard to enjoy the sight as the road along the estate was cobblestones that probably provided an even surface sixty years ago but have since suffered the effects of no maintenance.
Much further down, on the edge of the Brussels municipality, is a bridge I really like. It's called the Buda bridge and again is a very nice steel construction.
A bit further still, at the Three Fountains Park in Vilvoorde, I turned around and immediately understood why the run up to that point had been relatively effortless. The wind had pushed me forth, a wind much stronger than I had noticed it to be, and now I was facing a full ten kilometers of battling head-on against it. Trust me, it took forever and I could only keep going by taking very small steps.
It brought back memories of cycling in Holland. In particular, of the trips back from the swimming pool in Apeldoorn to our house in Epe. Battling the elements is what I learned, like many Dutch people, on a bicycle. Those trips back from the Sportfondsenbad, an indoor swimming pool, were pure hell if the wind was travelling high-speed in the opposite direction. I remember gusts of rain and snow, as well as hands and facial parts that were freezing, though always just not enough to go completely numb. But I also remember coming home in our house in the Glorialaan (meaning I was no older than ten) to the warm fireplace and a hot cocoa freshly boiled up by my mother.
Sometimes I feel compelled to make sure Sanna will have similar experiences. But then the thought of putting her through the suffering involved holds me back. That, plus the fact that she cannot ride a bike yet. Ah, and the little detail of us not having a fireplace.
I made it back home alright - from the running I mean - but had to sit down immediately as the pain in my leg and lower back muscles was preventing me from doing anything more meaningful. Mind you, I'm not complaining as I only have myself to blame for this mad enterprise...
Which reminds me: I haven't signed up yet for the Rotterdam marathon. Better do it soon; it fills up quickly they say.
Weight: 79 kilos
Time spent running since 15 November: 19 hours 44 minutes
Distance run since 15 November: 183.8 kilometers
Time left: 15 weeks
The canal that connects Brussels with the sea, via Antwerp, passes not too far from our house. It was only a matter of time before I would go for a run along the water. And time had come on the last day of the year; I took off down the Leopold II boulevard and turned left at the bridge, for a less than scenic route past commercial ports and industrial estates.
Yet, and not counting the long wall that seperates the lonely runner and other mere mortals from the gardens and palace of the King and Queen of Belgium, there are two structures I saw along the canal that are worth mentioning. One is the huge complex called Tour et Taxis where many large exhibitions and festivals take place. It is not only overwhelmingly massive, the structure itself is a gorgeous testament to the days when construction involved lots of steel. Worth a visit any time. Sadly, I found it hard to enjoy the sight as the road along the estate was cobblestones that probably provided an even surface sixty years ago but have since suffered the effects of no maintenance.
Much further down, on the edge of the Brussels municipality, is a bridge I really like. It's called the Buda bridge and again is a very nice steel construction.
A bit further still, at the Three Fountains Park in Vilvoorde, I turned around and immediately understood why the run up to that point had been relatively effortless. The wind had pushed me forth, a wind much stronger than I had noticed it to be, and now I was facing a full ten kilometers of battling head-on against it. Trust me, it took forever and I could only keep going by taking very small steps.
It brought back memories of cycling in Holland. In particular, of the trips back from the swimming pool in Apeldoorn to our house in Epe. Battling the elements is what I learned, like many Dutch people, on a bicycle. Those trips back from the Sportfondsenbad, an indoor swimming pool, were pure hell if the wind was travelling high-speed in the opposite direction. I remember gusts of rain and snow, as well as hands and facial parts that were freezing, though always just not enough to go completely numb. But I also remember coming home in our house in the Glorialaan (meaning I was no older than ten) to the warm fireplace and a hot cocoa freshly boiled up by my mother.
Sometimes I feel compelled to make sure Sanna will have similar experiences. But then the thought of putting her through the suffering involved holds me back. That, plus the fact that she cannot ride a bike yet. Ah, and the little detail of us not having a fireplace.
I made it back home alright - from the running I mean - but had to sit down immediately as the pain in my leg and lower back muscles was preventing me from doing anything more meaningful. Mind you, I'm not complaining as I only have myself to blame for this mad enterprise...
Which reminds me: I haven't signed up yet for the Rotterdam marathon. Better do it soon; it fills up quickly they say.
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