I'm already looking forward to start my training scheme for my second marathon.
If possible I would like to start in the marathon on 17 June in Torhout ("Nacht van Vlaanderen").
Otherwise in my birthplace Ostend on the 9th October...
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Mission accomplished...
Sunday 10 April 2011, Paris, 8h45, start of my first marathon run...3h44' later I finished as a very happy man.
Some statistics:
-----------------
5K 00:25:11
10K 00:51:24
15K 01:17:15
21.1 01:48:47
30K 02:36:25
35K 03:04:39
42.195 03:44:33
Classement: 8255
Participants: 32092 - finishers: 31169
Some statistics:
-----------------
5K 00:25:11
10K 00:51:24
15K 01:17:15
21.1 01:48:47
30K 02:36:25
35K 03:04:39
42.195 03:44:33
Classement: 8255
Participants: 32092 - finishers: 31169
Monday, April 4, 2011
Statistics...1 week before the great day.
My training scheme started on the 4th October 2010. So far I have run 1050K, an average of 12.1K and 11.8km/h (total running time: 87h17').
In the last 10 weeks I have run 600K, an average of 13.4K and 11.9km/h. In the last month... 298K, 14,2K at an average speed of 12K, including 3 long runs of 32K(2h46'),35(3h6') and 36K(3h3').
At least 3 more training runs to go before the final day of the marathon run in Paris...
In the last 10 weeks I have run 600K, an average of 13.4K and 11.9km/h. In the last month... 298K, 14,2K at an average speed of 12K, including 3 long runs of 32K(2h46'),35(3h6') and 36K(3h3').
At least 3 more training runs to go before the final day of the marathon run in Paris...
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Why run a marathon?
Yeah... why?
Well first of all the distance is mythical... or not for runners? By the way it started in the time of the Greeks [and their Gods]. Well at least for me it seems quite unbelievable the distance when I was a kid.
However...nowadays the most crazy extreme running performances are done. Running every day a whole year long a marathon, running marathon's in extreme environments, grandfathers/mothers running marathons,... .
Now at the age of 43 I'm really counting down every day to start my first marathon. So far training was with ups and downs but I think that is normal. Nevertheless I learned a lot the last months what is required to get and may be more important to keep in shape and to stay healthy.
Although it seems to be a solo game, support of the people close to you is also very essential to succeed in this adventure! So my succeeding will also be the result of the support I got from my wife Joke and our son Tim.
Thank you Tim & Joke!
They must also believe in what you are going and willing to do how crazy it might sound to some. In other words it is much more than just the running done by the individual. It will then also be a city trip to Paris for the whole family except for our nice dog Cocquette which was my first spare training partner 10 years ago. Now at the age of 11 10K has become her limit!
Enough words for today... tomorrow I should do my first training of week 9, hopefully the weather will still be good to run in Summer outfit.
Well first of all the distance is mythical... or not for runners? By the way it started in the time of the Greeks [and their Gods]. Well at least for me it seems quite unbelievable the distance when I was a kid.
However...nowadays the most crazy extreme running performances are done. Running every day a whole year long a marathon, running marathon's in extreme environments, grandfathers/mothers running marathons,... .
Now at the age of 43 I'm really counting down every day to start my first marathon. So far training was with ups and downs but I think that is normal. Nevertheless I learned a lot the last months what is required to get and may be more important to keep in shape and to stay healthy.
Although it seems to be a solo game, support of the people close to you is also very essential to succeed in this adventure! So my succeeding will also be the result of the support I got from my wife Joke and our son Tim.
Thank you Tim & Joke!
They must also believe in what you are going and willing to do how crazy it might sound to some. In other words it is much more than just the running done by the individual. It will then also be a city trip to Paris for the whole family except for our nice dog Cocquette which was my first spare training partner 10 years ago. Now at the age of 11 10K has become her limit!
Enough words for today... tomorrow I should do my first training of week 9, hopefully the weather will still be good to run in Summer outfit.
Monday, March 28, 2011
2 weeks to go...
Last Sunday 27 March 2011 I ran my last long run (36K) before starting to really count down towards the Paris Marathon on 10 April 2011.
The weather could not be better to enjoy my run, much sun and almost no wind. I could really run in my Summer outfit which encouraged me even more to peform very well in this last phase of my 10 weeks training planning. Maybe to well eventually... . I really ran a bridge too far. My target was 34K but after eating my energy food at 28K I got finally a boost and as the running conditions were wonderful I forgot to stop in time. Although I'm having a GPS sportwatch to follow up my track in detail I missed my 34K point to stop as I was focussing on a runner in front of me. As my car stood at the other side I missed the bridge to cross the canal and I had to run until the next one. Stupido... or just too much energy...
These last 10 weeks have been hard but as I could execute without any injuries I'm very pleased with my current physical and mental level of condition in this final phase of my first marathon preparation. At the beginning of this year I was still not sure if I would be ready for Paris.
Now it is time to decrease my training intensity and to go early to bed...
The weather could not be better to enjoy my run, much sun and almost no wind. I could really run in my Summer outfit which encouraged me even more to peform very well in this last phase of my 10 weeks training planning. Maybe to well eventually... . I really ran a bridge too far. My target was 34K but after eating my energy food at 28K I got finally a boost and as the running conditions were wonderful I forgot to stop in time. Although I'm having a GPS sportwatch to follow up my track in detail I missed my 34K point to stop as I was focussing on a runner in front of me. As my car stood at the other side I missed the bridge to cross the canal and I had to run until the next one. Stupido... or just too much energy...
These last 10 weeks have been hard but as I could execute without any injuries I'm very pleased with my current physical and mental level of condition in this final phase of my first marathon preparation. At the beginning of this year I was still not sure if I would be ready for Paris.
Now it is time to decrease my training intensity and to go early to bed...
Monday, March 21, 2011
3 weeks to go...
The heat is building up. Another 3 weeks to go before I can run my first marathon in Paris. Training is still going very well. Hopefully no nasty injury in the coming weeks :). The most difficult part is getting a good long night rest. To get early in bed in the evening and to sleep well are hard requirements for the moment. Nevertheless more than anything else these topics are becoming very important for the positive outcome. At least that is my opinion.
Finally Spring has come to Belgium Winter clothing will be changed in the coming weeks... Nice warmer sunny weather could probably only improve my progress.
Finally Spring has come to Belgium Winter clothing will be changed in the coming weeks... Nice warmer sunny weather could probably only improve my progress.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Implementing a dream...
More than 10 years ago I was on a training scheme to run my first marathon. Running almost 70 a 80 K per week my body was prepared to start thinking of trying to do a first marathon. The dream for every runner! However by becoming a family man I had no longer the best opportunities to execute a life style that is required to prepare for a marathon. This is a fact and it is a choice you make!
Last year after hadding a hard time at work I decided to make this dream of running a marathon finally true.
After buying in April 2010 a Garmin 405 sports watch with GPS functionality intensive running started again. The running virus was again in my body after all that time! Although I still had a run from time to time now it was again serious business in my life.
The believe I really could run a marathon started after running up in the summer of 2010 the Mont Ventoux in France. Running a mountain up during 2 hours and 19 minutes gave me the idea running a marathon at the starting of the next year should be feasible. I started a marathon training scheme ending on the 10 April 2011. I should allow me to be succesfull in the marathon of Paris!
But as I had a few health problems my body was not able to deliver what was required when doing a lot of km's each week. So when Winter came along I had my first injuries and I was forced to skip a lot of training days that were planned. Also as the weather was hard to do exercise outside I bought a treadmill to do the necessary running. Although it is more fun to run outside the treadmill forced me to take it easy in running distance and speed. So in someway it was a blessing to have this indoor excersise tool.
Probably even more in important I started to change my eating habbits. Also I learned what kind of food is good when doing a lot of physical exercises. Luckily things started to change rapidly to my benifit I could increase again my number of exercises in distance and speed. From January 2011 I was again on track to prepare my first marathon.
One of my targets in the preparation was to have at least 1 endurance run of 32K before running Paris.
At the end of February tension started to grow intensively to perform this mental and physical target. And fortunately encouraged by my wife I succeeded in this mission. Completing a marathon seems no longer to be an uncatchable dream! To be sure it was not a lucky shot I performed a 35K run at the beginning of March 2011. Finishing it in 3h03 confirmed I was on a good track to be successfull in Paris. Nevertheless the last weeks before Paris the body needs to be kept in shape. Also it will be my first run in competition. How will it be to participate amongst 40 000 other people? Although the body is in pretty good shape a number of parameters are still to be filled in... what about the weather, the food, starting that early in the morning, etc.
Nevertheless I will not skip this time my ambition to complete this race...!!!
As a boy running a marathon seems to be creazy now it has almost become a reality in my life.
Last year after hadding a hard time at work I decided to make this dream of running a marathon finally true.
After buying in April 2010 a Garmin 405 sports watch with GPS functionality intensive running started again. The running virus was again in my body after all that time! Although I still had a run from time to time now it was again serious business in my life.
The believe I really could run a marathon started after running up in the summer of 2010 the Mont Ventoux in France. Running a mountain up during 2 hours and 19 minutes gave me the idea running a marathon at the starting of the next year should be feasible. I started a marathon training scheme ending on the 10 April 2011. I should allow me to be succesfull in the marathon of Paris!
But as I had a few health problems my body was not able to deliver what was required when doing a lot of km's each week. So when Winter came along I had my first injuries and I was forced to skip a lot of training days that were planned. Also as the weather was hard to do exercise outside I bought a treadmill to do the necessary running. Although it is more fun to run outside the treadmill forced me to take it easy in running distance and speed. So in someway it was a blessing to have this indoor excersise tool.
Probably even more in important I started to change my eating habbits. Also I learned what kind of food is good when doing a lot of physical exercises. Luckily things started to change rapidly to my benifit I could increase again my number of exercises in distance and speed. From January 2011 I was again on track to prepare my first marathon.
One of my targets in the preparation was to have at least 1 endurance run of 32K before running Paris.
At the end of February tension started to grow intensively to perform this mental and physical target. And fortunately encouraged by my wife I succeeded in this mission. Completing a marathon seems no longer to be an uncatchable dream! To be sure it was not a lucky shot I performed a 35K run at the beginning of March 2011. Finishing it in 3h03 confirmed I was on a good track to be successfull in Paris. Nevertheless the last weeks before Paris the body needs to be kept in shape. Also it will be my first run in competition. How will it be to participate amongst 40 000 other people? Although the body is in pretty good shape a number of parameters are still to be filled in... what about the weather, the food, starting that early in the morning, etc.
Nevertheless I will not skip this time my ambition to complete this race...!!!
As a boy running a marathon seems to be creazy now it has almost become a reality in my life.
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