Bounce

I'm pretty certain I used that headline before. Training well, hitting a wall, struggling back seems to be the rhythm of my running.

After the thyroid episode, I am now back at training without falling too much behind my schedule for preparing for Barcelona. Last week Sunday I did 80 minutes along Lake Geneva. This Sunday it was 90 minutes closer to home. I will push for 100 minutes this weekend, particularly since there's no football match on Saturday.

The other bit of news is that Runner's World is interested in publishing Sebas' story, from coming to stay with us five years ago to running the half marathon in Catalunya in February. That will be great, and he certainly deserves that kind of recognition.

Which reminds me: I should check how HIS training is going.

Big set-back

It started with a sore neck on Monday. By tuesday, the pain had extended to my jaw and left ear, my lower neck was swollen and swallowing became a bit difficult. So I went to see my GP. Acute infection of the thyroid gland, he said. I have only seen this three or four times before. I was less enthusiastic than he was, particularly when my blood pressure proved very high (17 over 10). The doctor took two vials of blood and told me to stay at home for the rest of the week.

Can I still do sports, I asked. Nothing serious, he said. Maybe a one-kilometer walk in the mornings. A 1k walk??? Since when does that count as sports? Have I turned 95 or something without noticing?

I know this particular GP has a thing against exercise; he is more the soft yoga type. I'll obey him until the weekend, but I'm determined to go for a one-hour jog on Sunday. (Well, let's see what his colleague says when I see her on Friday night.)

Consolidate

I did all I planned. Short run on Tuesday, longer on Wednesday, another one on Thursday night, football match yesterday. Today, an easy 50 minutes. Did not lose weight this week. Score: 84.

I have updated my iPod playlist. Best addition: Milk & Honey's version of Myriam Makeba's "Pata pata".

A brilliant week for running

On Tuesday, along the shores of Lake Geneva, I already did 50 minutes, today's goal. In the course of the week I added another 110 minutes of gentle training. Today, I returned to my old 11k loop and completed it in 65 minutes straight. I am well ahead of my schedule now.

The week's score stands at 96, probably the best I will have (yes, I lost another kilo).

The coming two weeks are for stabilising at this level, with end-of-week targets of 50 and 60 minutes respectively.

Good stuff (week 2: 94)

Made my target, did all trainings, lost a kilo, felt good... I'm awarding myself with a score that will be hard to beat.

Much travel coming up this week, so no football but extra running along the lakes in Geneva and Luzern.

Done

35 Minutes over lunch. No music as I forgot to bring my iPod. Still fighting off the remainder of the bug that floored me yesterday. 20+ Degrees, so quite warm.

Observation: When my breathing rhythm accelerates from 3 in 3 out, it goes to 2 in 3 out. I need to correct that to 3 in 2 out.

Week 1: 92

I'm going to score my weekly progress. 50 points for reaching my end-of-week target, 10 for losing weight, 4 for each bout of exercise (running or football) with a weekly maximum of 20, another 20 max for how easy it felt. Over the past week, I made the target, lost 1k, did five trainings (including a football match), and awarded myself 12 out of 20 for ease of running (that needs to improve).

All in all a good week.

Coming up: 35 minutes at lunchtime tomorrow, football practice on Wednesday night, 35 minutes at lunch on Friday, football match on Saturday, 40 minutes on Sunday. I'm not traveling, so it may be doable.

Four steps forward, one step back

Between now and late February, I will measure my progress by how long I can run comfortably by the end of each week (mostly on Sundays). Each week I increase my target with ten minutes, starting with thirty minutes this week (done that twice already), but after each four weeks of cumulation I go ten minutes back instead of forward. With that rhythm, I will be doing 150 minutes (25 kilometers) two weeks before the Barcelona race, giving me the little bit of extra capacity I will need for finishing comfortably (and preferably in under two hours).

The ideal training week includes three runs, of which one increasingly long, one foorball practice session and one football match. In reality, I will drop bits almost every week to accomodate family life and work commitments.

But at least the spirit is back, thanks to my wonderful nephew Sebastiaan.

New inspiration

On Sunday, I met nephew Sebas at my mother's place. Of course we spoke about running; he's been pretty active in training over recent weeks. Half jokingly I challenged him to sign up for a half marathon early in the year. Barcelona came to mind, and a little browsing on the iPhone told me the race is scheduled for 26 February. One day later, Sebas texted me to say he registered!

I have signed up too. And to kick off he new training regime I need, I ran half an hour along Lake Geneva on Monday night. There was a light drizzle and a bit of sunshine, resulting in the most gorgeous double rainbow I have ever seen. Running suddenly became a lot easier.

Bad bad bad

Running things are not good. Not good at all. For about a month now, I don't succeed in running for more than 20 or 30 minutes. So I did not benefit from the holidays, in terms of extra training, and I had to forsake some nice races that were in my calendar.

The focus is now on the Brussels half marathon, on 2 October. Lots of work to be done for that one...

Another Brussels 20k done

The race, as expected, was hard. I cruised for 10k at 6min/km, then collapsed, finishing in over 2h7m. It was rather hot, much warmer than was expected. High numbers of runners needed medical care; I saw two on heart monitors, many more lying down in the shadow with Red Cross staff tending to them.

But this year's edition was the best, at least for me, when it came to after-race care. Larry, one of CH's colleagues, has a great apartment with two balconies overlooking the finish area. I got to shower there and then was treated to good Belgian beers, nice BBQ food, and even champagne! CH was there, Sanna, Ellie, Soo... Quite a number of my favorite people.

It made up for a bad race. Next up, in terms of biggies, is the Zaventem half marathon very close to home, in mid-August. I have some serious training to do through summer.

Hard

Last week's 12k in Kortenberg was disastrous. Okay, it was hot and I started way too ambitious. But still, having to walk after 3.5k already and giving up altogether at the halfway point was pretty hard to take.

Yesterday's race in Veltem then was much better. I chose against the half marathon and for the 12k. With a schedule of 5:25 minutes per kilometer I was doing well; only in the last km I couldn't keep going.

So now I need three weeks of intense distance running, and one slow week, to prepare me for the Brussels 20k. The goal: finish in under two hours.

Gearing up (a bit)

Yesterday's 11k training was good in that I controlled my pace and ended with a negative split.

Typing a sentence like this makes me feel I'm a running-version of a geek, but as I'm the only reader of my blog that does not matter even a tiny bit. Just as long as I still understand this lingo in ten years.

I'm not doing well yet on my goal for the year. The plan was to run at least three half marathons (including the Brussels 20k) in under two hours. Each, I mean. I'm at zero so far. My first big shot at it will be said 20k in, what is it, five weeks? Much distance training will be required.

Travel has not been helpful, or better: the full work schedules while I travel. I had a chance to get used to running in the heat in Dubai, but only did one lame half hour of sprints and tempo runs. I had a chance for altitude training in Addis Ababa, but again only time to put in one half hour of start and stop jogging.

Dedication is what I need, folks. Dedication. Can I take inspiration from Luc, who did his first marathon in 3:30 in Antwerp last week?

Slack

I tend to have these bouts of demotivation for running after finishing big races. And so, after the double of Paris and Tervuren, I have been sitting on my bum and not put any significant effort in.

With the big one, the Brussels 20k, only eight weeks away, that needs to change. And as there is some travel planned over the coming weeks with reduced training opportunities, I have to make the most of my time in Brussels.

So I'm sitting at the computer, all dressed up, big mug of coffee downed, leverworst sandwich (with a slight touch of ketchup, yum!) eaten. Only socks to put on, belt with iPod, shoes, and I'll be ready to go.

Get up, stand up!

Lots of speed, not enough endurance

I finished the Tervuren 16k, a hilly run in the forest, in just under 1:30 (my target was 1:32). Average per kilometer is 5:38, against 5:57 during the Paris half marathon two weeks ago. So that's a major jump.

It could have been even majorer. After 10k I was at 52:15. That speed would have taken me to a time of about 1:23:30. But I could not keep going. A steep climb, followed by a steeper climb, killed my pace and after 11k I had to walk bits.

So what do I learn from this? That I am not back yet to the shape I was in three years ago, in my marathon year. That I need to train for mileage, before looking at speed again. And that I started too optimistically, maybe.

But then, the weather was great (my first short-sleeves run of the season!), the forest was magnificent, the roads and paths, mostly unpaved, were grand, and the crowd was superb (race volunteers, runners and spectators). I should be forgiven for getting carried away - before dropping like a brick.

Next up: the 12k in Kortenberg on Easter Monday. Aim: under one hour.

Warming up

It's not so cold any more. This morning I only wore two shirts, one long-sleeved and one short, and was not shivering for a moment.

Ran my 11k circuit in 1:01:12. That's 5:34 per kilometer. It indicates that I am getting closer to the shape I was in in 2007/2008.

But my calf keeps hurting. That's a bit of a concern. No football then today (had been hoping to play a game in the park during the St Patrick's Day celebrations). At least I can indulge in a Guinness or two then.

And my weight has come down firmly now to 80 kilos. Would like it to drop further to around 75. Without dieting, ideally...

2:05:33

Not bad at all. Great weather, fantastic organisation, nice route.

I started with a slow kilometer (6:40), as I had to dive into the bushes to take a leak. After that, for a long time my k's were 5:40 and occasionally 5:30. My calf hurt a bit, but I managed to ignore it. At 5k: 29:26 (half a minute too slow). At 10k: 57:16 (three-quarters of a minute under my target). At 15k: 1:25:57 (two minutes faster than foreseen). When I passed the 16k point in under 1:32, I was doing an average that would have brought me very close to two hours flat at the finish.

But then it hit. First, the pain. My calf decided that this was enough and that I had to stop now. From here on, almost every step hurt. Then, the fatigue. I could hardly breathe and all my muscles went on strike. So I struggled on for another five kilometers, bits of walking alternated with slow jogs.

Yet, I finished well inside my target time (2:08) and have reason to be happy. It was the first race since August. No trace any more of the hernia. I can build on this.

Next up, in two weeks, a 16k run in nearby Tervuren. Almost entirely through the forest and very hilly. A good one for testing my strength.

This is it

I have not run one single step since Sunday. The sharp pain in my left calf was less sharp by Monday and gone by Thursday, but I did not want to risk bringing it back with an innocent training run.

What must have caused it is the increased mobility in my ankle. My osteopath had been manipulating it with great success. But this meant that during my very hilly run the calf muscle got stretched significantly further than it had been in years. Not surprisingly, the pain hit when I started the steepest descent of my training course.

So we'll have to see what tomorrow brings.

My body already felt completely charged this morning when I woke up, ready to go for it. But it needs carbs; tonight I'll find myself a good Italian place in Paris and stock up.

For the race itself, assuming my calfs holds, I expect to be cruising for the first 11 kilometers (up to the first passage of the Bastille) at a speed of 5:40 to 6:00 per minute. After that, along the Seine, I'll hit the first wall but the carb intake should get me through that. Then, at 16 kilometers it will get hard, as I have not been training any further. Also, the last bit has the steepest climbs. By then, my kilometer times will have gone up to 6:30 or 6:40. But back in the Bois de Vincennes, at around k19, I'll know I'm almost there.

Predicted finish time: 2:05 - 2:15.
My target: 2:08.

There's time measurement at different points, so here's what I aim for:
05k: 29:00
10k: 58:00
15k: 1:28:00
21k: 2:08:00

I'd be very happy with that, for my first race after recovering from injury. It'll give me something to build on in months ahead.

A tear?

After 87 minutes a sudden sharp pain in my left calf forced me to stop running. Hopefully, it's a strain and not a tear. If it's the latter, Paris will be off.

Let's see over the coming two days.

Last week

The football game on Sunday left my body exhausted for the following days. No running till Wednesday night when I struggled through a one-hour jog (it did not help that I took a turn I'd never taken before and ended up on a seemingly endless mud track along the highway, with a variety of trees and branches fallen over the path I was sliding on).

So, tomorrow morning early is for the final training. Again I will set out on my 20k route, with iPod and little flasks of water (or coke, as a friend suggested?). Whatever comes of it tomorrow, I have no excuse for not going to Paris. I've trained through winter to get back where I am now. I've paid for my train, hotel and registration. I've told people I'm doing this.

And strangely, I know it will be good. I'll get a burst of energy and then, if I can pace myself at 5:40 to 5:50 minutes per kilometer (not faster!) I will keep going for a very long time. And finish in a time not too far over two hours.

It's the first of the season. If I do one half marathon per month, I will be very ready for the Brussels 20k at the end of May. And in the course of the summer I should be able to bring my half marathon time down to under two hours.

That's the plan.

Stuck at 100

With two weeks to go till Paris, effectively only one week of training and one of rest, I remain stuck at running 100 minutes max. That will not be enough for the half marathon, so I'll give it two more tries this week (Monday and Saturday, I guess), and then just hope that the last 20 minutes will be inspired by the no doubt great atmosphere between Bastille and the finish in the Bois de Vincennes.

I had been hoping for some serious altitude training over the past week in Kenya. But the roads and paths were steep, full of boulders and slippery from the nightly rains. And our mountain overlooking the Rift Valley was so high that I ran already out of breath just climbing the twenty steps to the road. I managed to squeeze in three times 35 minutes of fartlek, but nothing more demanding than that. Still, maybe that bit of oxygen-poor training will have a positive effect.

I'll see tomorrow. First, this afternoon, I have a football match in nearby Leefdaal.

Good one

Last night I had an excellent training run. My legs just wanted to go faster all the time, my breathing was easy and I never really tired. Did my hilly 11k tour in 62 minutes - 8 minutes faster than last time I ran this route - at the speed I would need for finishing the half marathon in under two hours. That is promising. I now need to focus on endurance and put in a first attempt at running for the full 120 minutes (at a lower pace) on Saturday.

After that, there will be a week of altitude training in rural Kenya.

Several factors may help explain the ease of running yesterday:
1. I did not run for two weeks, so my body was eager
2. I played a fair bit of football recently, so my body is fitter
3. The weather was gorgeous, almost early Spring like, and I did not need to wear a jacket and long pants
4. My iPod shuffled good songs
5. I had pasta for lunch

Which was the most beneficial factor? Instinctively, I rank them like this in descending order: 3 - 2 - 4 - 1 - 5.

Paris is coming close.

Soring success

These are the intense training weeks. I'm trying to break through the 80 or 90 minutes barrier as well as lose some kilos.

On Saturday, I ran 80 minutes. It was hard, and I wanted to stop after 42, 50, 64, 68 and 72 minutes, but I didn't and not stopping did not require superhuman determination. So that's good. On Sunday, I did 40 minutes. And then, on Monday night, a full two-hour football training.

So now my body is in a state of shock and sore, especially my left buttock. But when I went for a walk to the hairdresser at lunch time, I had the strange sensation that my legs wanted to just go and go, as if there was excess energy stored in them. Quite pleasant, I tell you.

This weekend I'll have a stab at 90 minutes.

Milestone of sorts

Completed my 11k loop this morning. In 67:16, which is slow. But it was 17 minutes more continuous running than I'd done ever since my injury. And only 3 minutes under NEXT week's target. So that is very cool.