Inspiration

Just back from visiting Luc, who has set his sight on running his first ever marathon, in April in Antwerp. Luc runs easily (I'm sure he disagrees but I know the vast difference between us). He does not really have a training plan for the big 42.195 and was wondering if he should be doing any real long trainings, like over two hours. Thing is, it does not matter that much in his case probably; he'll just get going and not stop until he finishes.

Luc is one of those runners that fill me with envy.

My running got a little bit easier in the meantime. I asked my osteopath on Monday night to look at my left ankle which has seriously restricted movement since I had a skiing accident three years ago in the Jura. My nice path stretched, bent, cracked, massaged the ankle and did other mysterious things. When I left his practice, I almost fell over as I was not used to a semi-normal range of movement any more. And today, doing my regular 8.1k run, I finished 3.5 minutes faster than the previous two times. So I'm trying to schedule two more sessions before the Paris half marathon in early April.

The lovely madness of it all

It's Sunday morning, 7am. The house sleeps, even the cats did not bother getting up to beg for food when I came down the stairs. The world sleeps.

It's freezing out there. Freezing and pitch dark. Oh, and everything is covered in snow.

I am wearing running gear: two layers on the legs, two on the upper body which will extend to five. I'll be going out there soon, after I finish my wake-up coffee. Have to go early: we're having a large group of people over for lunch, so the morning is for tidying and cooking. After lunch I reckon we'll be just stretched out on the sofa. As lunch includes a wine tasting session, even a gentle jog afterwards is no-go.

So there is logic behind the madness of going out there now for a fifty minutes run. But madness it is. Yet it's a pleasant madness too. While I'm in the cold my iPod will keep me going - K.D.Lang's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" will be an appropriate part of my Sunday playlist - and when I'm back home I will feel very good. Standing under the shower, feeling my toes return to life from their state of minor frostbite, I'll know there's hardly a better way to start the day.

All I have to do now is put on my shoes and additional clothes, close the door behind me, and get through the next hour.

I think I'll do my Ph.D. on Blogging as an Attempt at Self-Motivation. Any thoughts on that one, my non-existing readers?

98 Days to Paris

Post-hernia training started two weeks ago. Doing 3 or 4 jogs per week. Today's was the first of 30 minutes straight; I hope to be at one hour by Christmas.

From there on, I should steadily continue to expand until I'm ready for the Paris half marathon on 6 March.

Full stop

In case you, non-existing reader, were wondering what's happening with my running (which you wouldn't be, reader, even if you would exist), the answer is, nothing.

Short version: back pain after gardening, spreading after ten days into left leg, weekend consultation at GP, hernia, another consult three days later, hernia got worse, CT scan of spine tomorrow morn, osteopath tomorrow night, back to GP on Friday.

I can hardly walk. And not running for over two weeks now makes me very very grumpy.

Thank god for codeine: eases the pain and soothes my soul.

Today: Vossem

Sanna and I are running in Vossem today. Last year Sanna had a bit of an accident there, bumping into a boy who fell and was bleeding. So she is apprehensive about this one. But the prospect of a medal and or goodies bag will surely drag her over the line.

I'm doing 6.4 km. Would love to say I am aiming for 32 minutes, but the course is very hilly. And last night's dinner and drinks bash, with neighbours, grandma and Soo, will slow me down too. So what shall I say... Under 35 minutes then?

Here's a pic of me finishing last year's race in Vossem.

Super fast (but maybe not)

The bus that would drive the runners in the Zaventem 5k to the start broke down. The organisers improvised an alternative route, with start and finish in the same place.

It rained a bit, but there was little wind. I tried running in a slightly higher rhythm with a shorter stride.

Result: 00:22:25. If it really was 5k, then this would be the fastest run I've done. Ever.

But I think it may have been more like 4.5k, to be honest.

Sanna did the 300m again and finished 6th (in a field of 12). Last year she took 00:02:23, this year 00:01:33. Now THAT'S improvement!

Okay

With 00:31:38, I finished in the first half of the field during the Kortenberg 6k. So that was good.

I'm now in Nairobi, trying to run every morning in the super hilly botanic garden across the road from where I'm staying. But the high altitude (1700m) leaves me with little air to breathe. I'm not getting far. Today was slightly better than yesterday, but I seriously notice the estimated 10 per cent decrease in oxygen intake. Hopefully, I will benefit from my high-altitude training when I am back in the low lands of Belgium.

Next target is the 5k in Zaventem, and with the good result on Sunday I am going to aim for an ambitious time: below 25 minutes. I know the area well; if the weather is half okay (not too much wind please in the open fields along the airport) that goal may well be realistic.

Back once more

Not a whole lot of running happened since the Brussels 20k. And most of it was short runs, like 20 to 30 minutes. Over the past week though, benefitting from the freely available child care during our (Sanna's and mine) road trip through Holland, I did 30 minutes on 5 consecutive days (in Sterrebeek, Deventer, Ermelo, Hilversum, and Voorhout respectively). Today, after two days of rest, I'm running the 6k race in nearby Kortenberg, aiming at a time under 33 minutes.

I am going to stick with a regime of many short runs for a while, building up to one hour (or 10-12k) in the last months of this year. The aim is to make my running easier.

Still.... I saw an ad for the Dingle marathon. That must be breathtaking in all senses of the word: glorious landscapes and ocean views, horrific climbs and wind-ridden coastal roads. 2012, maybe?

Still going (though not so strong)

45 Minutes on Saturday morning around Sterrebeek, 75 minutes on Sunday morning around Ermelo. Tomorrow night I should be doing at least one hour around Geneva. The 20k is now only 13 days away. My last long training should be on Sunday afternoon in Sydney, my last short training on the 28th at lunchtime in Jette.

Timely boost

Wasn't too sure about running in Bruges, as I am far from fit. But with the 20k only three weeks away, I had to put myself to the test.

I finished in just under 1:20, whereas I was hoping for under 1:30. Success factors included the great weather (about 15 degrees and overcast, virtually no wind), the pain killers I am taking for my dental troubles, and Jarabe de Palo on my iPod.

Bonito, todo me parece bonito.

Some progress

On the last two days of March, I ran one hour each in Geneva. Could it be the altitude that makes running easier there? Hardly, the city is less than 400 meters above sea level. Must be the novelty of the course.

Last night I still did not manage to complete my 11k circuit near home, though I got much further than on Sunday.

There is still a tiny glimmer of hope that I can be readyish for the Brussels 20k. But I will need to work hard and avoid adversity.

Bang goes the plan

No time to run in Barcelona. And now I am plagued by a very painful buttock.

Work gets in the way

I was called to Geneva, getting on an early flight there on Sunday and working non-stop since. No running. Again. Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh.

Plan is now to travel on to Barcelona on Thursday night. The conference I'll be attending is on the beach. I'll carry my gear. But apparently, Barcelona is covered in snow and temperatures are lower than low.

It's going to be an uphill struggle, getting in shape (-ish) for that 20k in May.

On track, more or less

Extreme weather conditions last weekend kept me from running in Ermelo. That's a real pity, because I know some nice routes and beautiful places in the local forests, where I used to hang out as a young teenager mainly for spotting birds.

As a result, my third 30 minutes run was on Monday, March 1st, one day behind schedule. It was a nice lunchtime run with Julie. Both of us confessed afterward that we wanted to stop at about 15 minutes but kept going because of the company. I should have more running mates - find me one in Geneva, for instance - as running alone is much harder.

On Tuesday night, in Geneva, I kept going for 42 minutes. It was dark when I followed the unlit path along the Arve river, but I could see the contours of a nice castle ruin high up on the other side and can hardly wait for daylight saving to begin.

Another 30 minutes at lunch yesterday meant that I am well on schedule. Tomorrow I will set off on my old 11k trail, hoping to not start walking till after 50 minutes.

In other news, I did indeed lose 2 kilos in February. Have not touched a single beer in two weeks.

Targets

I registered for the 20k of Brussels, on the last Sunday of May. Nothing special, were it not for my complete lack of training over many months. And for my weight, which perfectly reflects the previous factor.

Instead of a sophisticated training schedule, I decided to keep it simple. At the end of February, I should have run 30 minutes at least 3 times and weigh no more than 84 kilos. At the end of March I should have done 60 minutes 3 times and weigh under 82 kilos. At the end of April, 90 minutes 3 times, and 80 kilos. And at the end of May 120 minutes 3 times and 78 kilos.

That should get me to the level I had two years ago. Ambitious? Probably, but not doomed to fail.

Tonight I did my second 30 minutes, in hilly Geneva (the first was with Ellen early this month). Weight-wise I think I am fine too. So the start is there.

Mind you, in this schedule (as in The Waste Land), April is the cruelest month. Breaking through the 80 minutes brick wall barrier is notoriously hard.

Buckets of moral support, please!

Fare pay

My Geneva room is conveniently located along the tram line that also stops in front of the office, about 15 minutes from when I get on. The fare is a bit pricy at 3 Swiss francs or 2 euros, but the ticket vending machines at the tram stops accept both currencies. Which I consider a great plus, being an international commuter myself.

But. The machines only say they accept cards; my entire deck of them has been refused repeatedly. So it's coins I need. Another but. The machines do not give change. If I insert a 5 francs coin, the ticket will say I have paid too much and mention the amount of overpay. Apparently, one can go to the office of the Tram Exploitation Company to get a refund of the excess payment. I imagine piling up little dockets until, one day, I find the courage to queue up in an office building and receive what they owe me.

Funny system.

In contrast, the Flemish bus services have introduced a facility for paying one's fare through a text message. Much simpler, and much cheaper too: for a trip from the airport to home I now pay 1.3 euros instead of 3.0.

Switzerland vs Belgium: 0-1.