I ran a Marathon this year!

Last week I finally ran the marathon! I made it. It was an unbelievable experience. After dislocating my knee last year I was not sure I would ever get there. 

In November last year I was training my leg joints to complete a full cycle on a bike. In January I carefully started running again. I basically started from nothing, and BOOM in October I ran a full marathon!

The last 4 weeks before the marathon I still was not sure it would happen. My calves were tired and tight and I spent two days a week at my physical therapist to try to get them ready. I started training with special socks that compressed my calves, and running felt so much more tiring. 

I was not sure if I should try to run a marathon with these socks if my body was not used to it. I fell into insecurity. I decided to use them anyway and just accept that my time would be slower. As long as I did not run myself an injury.

It was a long and hot run -it was 20C outside- and it took me longer than I expected. It was amazing, exhilarating, scary, exhausting, energising, and I could not have done it without the people cheering me on.

My mind kept telling me I should stop. It was too much. But I pushed through, and with a couple of walking breaks -especially uphill, because socks- I managed to put a little sprint in when I crossed the last 500 metre mark. 

Best medal I ever had!

2nd try || Training for the Amsterdam Marathon || 4 weeks to go

wait, what? Just one month to go??!

Just one month before the big day. I have to say, who knew? Last November I was still relearning how to ride a bike after a bad knee injury. Now I'm running a marathon in 4 weeks! Crazy what the body is capable of.

I went to a physical therapist on Monday, to see if we can work on my tight calves, before an injury happens. And I have to tell you, the dry needling to loosen it up was absolutely brutal. But, the next day, really all was fine. So off I went to yoga.

Wednesday I took my loose calves out for a short run. Thursday and Friday rest day :)

And then Saturday was the day I took out my new compression socks for a long distance run (also advised by the physical therapist). The first 5K was horrible. The socks were soooo tight, running up hill felt impossible. The best visual I can give you on how it felt is when you put your cat or dog in socks or shoes for the first time, and they kind of forget how to walk, that's how it felt. Like your muscles forget how to work. I managed to squeeze out about 22-23K. 

Monday I'm back at the physical therapist. We'll see if the socks make it to the start of the marathon...Right now, I'm not sure...

2nd try || Training for the Amsterdam Marathon || 5 weeks to go

The marathon is creeping closer and closer. Am I ready? I'm not sure. I think so...

Monday I did a morning yoga stretch, which got me ready for the week. Tuesday was an other early morning, with a 4K run at 7am. So, not me to get out so early. But I did and it was amazing! And that evening I was at it again, with a vinyasa yoga class.

The rest of the week it was raining cats and dogs, so I was a little less active. And then Sunday was my first 30K! Crazy!

I participated in the 30K of Noord, which is a run through the fields north of Amsterdam. And it went so well! It was amazing.

But knowing I will have to run 12K further than that in a few weeks is very, very scary.

And, on top of that (or because of that) the last week, I was not so good...And I have all of the excuses...It rained. A lot. Like. A lot. And work was stressful and busy (I know, exercise is especially important when stressed, but you know what, I did not listen to that voice, I'm human). 

But then on Saturday, even when I really did not feel like it, I ran 8K at the Damloop by Night in Zaandam with colleagues. Running my own little tempo, until I reached the 6K point and then speeding up all the way to the finish, finally getting rid of some of the stress of the last week. It was liberating. Just the endorphins I needed. I know. You told me so.

2nd try || Training for the Amsterdam Marathon || 7 weeks to go

Errrr, 7 weeks...More and more the thought of possible failure creeps up. Or, maybe the even worse thought of, "what if it takes me 6 hours, or longer and the sweep car comes pick me up"?
I try not to think of it. It's too scary.

So what did I do the last two weeks, to dull this fear down a bit?

I got back from Bristol on Monday. Tuesday I took a sweet little break from working out. A good prep for Wednesday, when I ran my farthest run yet, 26K. That.Is.So.Far.I.Cannot.Believe.It! Took forever too. It was extremely warm and sunny. But it felt amazing at the same time. On the right track, right?

Thursday I spent the day in the car travelling to France where we had the best slow vacation in a long time. We were sleeping in this cute and luxe studio, on French castle grounds, surrounded by nothing else but woods and farms. And we did not leave the grounds for en entire week!
We did not have to, there was so much to do. Friday we went swimming in the pool, where I did some arm exercises. And we played table tennis.
Friday, swimming again, practising head stands in the shallow end of the pool. And some table tennis. Saturday, more swimming, playing with head stands and balancing exercises. And we went for a 45 minute walk. Sunday I did a 30 minute yoga sequence. And of course, more swimming, and more table tennis.

I ran into the new week with a 5K run. It was far too warm. I really found it very, very tough indeed. Temperatures reached 33 degrees Celsius during the day. Even when running later or earlier in the day, was really too much. I don't know how some people do it. And of course, the daily swimming and table tennis happened. Tuesday we took on the tennis court on the grounds, where I tried to teach my significant other how to hit a ball the tennis way, and not the squash way. Wednesday was a very, very wet day. But I put in a full body work out, doing exercises for arms, legs and my core for 45 minutes to an hour. Think; lifting small weights, planks, dips, push ups, jumping squats, and many, many others. We ended the day with an other short tennis playing session.
And, alas, Thursday, an other day spent in the car back home. Friday was a rest day. Saturday I did my errands, which turned out to be a lot and in a lot of different places across the city. According to the google fit app on my phone I spent 2 hours and 35 minutes on my bike! Thinking back, this is probably about right...

Sunday was another long distance run. 20K, mostly through IJburg and Diemerpark.

2nd try || Training for the Amsterdam Marathon || 9 weeks to go

Monday started with a 5k run, short but sweet. Tuesday was my regular yoga session, vinyasa. Where I sweated through many a vinyasa plank. 

Wednesday was a rest day, and then Thursday I ran through the most amazing sunset over Amsterdam for 8K. Is that pick sky not super inspiring and motivating to get outside?
Friday I smashed out a 20 minute HIIT workout I found on Youtube. And I finished the week off with a 20 K run, through Amsterdam, up to the North and through the fields near Ransdorp.

And back to Monday! Swimming for 30 minutes in the medium lane, brought my heart rate right up. 

Tuesday I was back to my Vinyasa yoga and Thursday I was off to Bristol for the UK Barista Championship finals, sitting on the Tamper Tantrum panel. And we did a lot of walking. A. Lot...

Also...just 9 weeks to go...that is scary!

2nd try || Training for the Amsterdam Marathon || 11 weeks to go

What a hectic couple of weeks it has been. The days are flying by, and as I wrote down 11 weeks to go, I had a little panic attack...just 11 weeks to go? That's officially less than 3 months! Let's recap the last two weeks. I went for a 5K run on Monday two weeks ago. Taking a day off on Tuesday and back to vinyasa yoga on Wednesday. On Thursday I had an interview with a coffee magazine, so that was my day done. I did spend some time walking through Rotterdam. And finally I moved my long distance run to Friday as I was flying off to Lima, Peru on Saturday. It was a lovely run, 18K through the East of Amsterdam. I split it into 3 sets of 6K, taking some energy gels after every set. Overall I was able to keep a stable speed. Then from Saturday till Saturday I was in Peru! It was an amazing trip where I travelled to the North, to the regions of Cajamarca and Amazonas to visit coffee producers. And although I spent some time climbing steep coffee slopes in the mountains, I mostly sat in a car all day. So time to step it up again this week!

2nd try || Training for the Amsterdam Marathon || 13 weeks to go

Monday, I woke up at 6 am. Which is absolutely ridic for me. I am a notorious sleep-in-er. But I went, I got up, and I biked off to a hot yoga class. I've been to a hot yoga class before, and I have really not enjoyed it. It was too warm, too busy, too clingy and honestly a little dirty. But this time I went to a new yoga school, Equal, on the Middenweg in Amsterdam. It was sweaty, dripping from all of my pores. But it was grand. Best feeling ever. Will probably repeat. Tuesday, I wanted to go to my regular vinyasa yoga, however I did not. Because migraine. Wednesday I still was not on top of my game, plus it was 30 degrees Celsius outside. I did go to a yin yoga class on Friday, stretching everything out. And then Saturday I went for a 10K run through Diemen. I closed the week off on Sunday with a half-hour walk along the waterfront near my house. So all in all, an okay week. Next week, the long distance run will be an 18K...not looking forward to that yet. So I will need to put out a neat route, so as to inspire myself.

 

2nd try || Training for the Amsterdam Marathon || 14 weeks to go

I had a lot of fun this week. On Wednesday I had dinner with friends. I made my home made whole wheat wraps, filled with all kinds of delicious, from minced beef with corn, to black bean salsa, and fresh tomatoes and bell peppers. On Thursday I had dinner at my mum's. And then on Friday I had a BBQ party with my colleagues plus partners, hanging out side all day, enjoying the beautiful weather! Alas, that also meant that, as I'm usually late to rise, late to run and exercise - meaning I only move my ass in the evenings-, that I did not do that much of movement this week. Ups....All I did was some vinyasa yoga on Tuesday, and then Saturday I went for a 10K run one way and a 10K bike ride back. It was a beautiful run though. Past the Flevopark, along the water. Two bridges, which I took in stride and then I nice 1 K through the North of Amsterdam, along fields and meadows filled with cows. Oh, and I cleaned my entire house on Sunday. On a week like this one, I think that counts...right?

2nd try || Training for the Amsterdam Marathon || 15 weeks to go

It was a short workout week, due to a thunderstorm and some dinner parties. Nonetheless I got some good workouts in. 

Inspired by Sarah's Day, I'm trying to add different types of workouts to my weekly exercise.

Trying to sweat, trying to tone, getting outside to do activities and having a challenge.

This week started off with a 6K run on Monday, where I ran through Diemen, trying to find beautiful green stretches that were not paved. 

Wednesday was a tone day, with a one-hour-and-a-half vinyasa yoga workout. And while thunder and lightning was keeping me from running outside for an interval training, I spent the evening with a HIIT workout.

And then Saturday I spent 14K outside, running along the Amstel river to the centre of Amsterdam, running back past Artis, the zoo, and finally ending up in the beautiful green Flevopark.

Sunday, last day, I still want to do a challenge. I'll probably see if I can run up some stairs a couple of times. 

Monthly Tryout II supagolf

It was a cloudy, wet afternoon after a 20K run. I found myself on a big field, surrounded by poles, nets and plastic sheets with rubber ducks on them, swinging around some clubs while enjoying a beer.

Supagolf, its a golf-type game that's in between mini-golf and golf. You get a caddie with 4 different clubs that you roll around a football-sized field containing 9 holes, which vary between 40 and around 80 meters of playing field. And I have to say, it's a lot of fun!

Of course my supagolf partner found his strength in this game, hitting balls perfectly and flying them over the plastic duck water ponds, while I kept struggling, causing me to lose miserably. Let's say it was due to the fact I just almost ran a half marathon...

There are two holes, that aren't really holes, but a game of shooting as many balls as you can into a net, which suited my talents more. Alas, it wasn't enough to make it to the finish line. 

All in all, we had a blast, with one round of holes providing us about an hour and a half of fun with the two of us. 

Supagolf in Amsterdam is a pop-up golf course. They are 'live' until August 28th. Go check them out!

Fore!!!

Training for the Amsterdam Marathon II week 20

Week 20...almost half way there. And almost half way a marathon, with a long distance run of 20K this weekend. 

With all the rain in August, I decided to do more strength training on Wednesday in stead of an interval training, as I am a little scared to get injured because of cooling off too much between high intensity intervals. 

This was the first 20K run for a long time in my schedule, and I had to think about bringing along drinks and something to energise during the run again. Which is something you need to think about during the marathon as well. 

When running a half marathon I usually just use the water and banana points of the event itself. But is this something I want during the marathon?

Also, there are no water or banana points during a training! So what to do? I decided to bring some gels, and a bottle of water and every 5-6K I had a gel and a few sips. And it kept me going. 

I was kind of spent though at the end. I discussed with a marathon running friend what to do in these situations where you are too spent to keep going. Is it better to run on, or is it better to just walk a minute or two and then start running again after getting your breath and heart rate down? 

She felt it was better to keep running, because it is so hard to start up again. In my opinion it is kind of nice to have a little walk in between. Especially because I do not like to eat gels and run. Or eat anything while moving, really. So often, when I eat something, I don't run. I walk. It works for me. And if I need to extend my run a couple of km, I kind of like to have a little walk and then run another 5k. It helps me take on those extra minutes and get across the imaginary finish line.

Training for the Amsterdam Marathon II week 19

It was a rainy week. And so I spent some more time on muscle work-outs with my trusty kettle bell and the amazing Youtube, than running. And, my word, I got some hefty muscle aches from that kettle bell. Especially in my upper leg muscles. And I again suffered some tight muscles in my right leg, even with ante and post stretching moves.

I did go out for an 18km run on Saturday, through Diemerpark, which is filled with field flowers, wild bunnies, butterflies and endless amounts of birds. It was lovely. There are berries growing everywhere, and as the weather was great there were people with baskets collecting fresh berries all along the route. Plus, bonus, At round 12km the tightness in my right leg was lifted. Pretty scary at first, because it felt as if it was tightening even more, but then with a small little pang it freed up completely.

Additionally this week I listened to the Brain Warrior's Way three free videos. To actually participate in their programme you have to pay a fee. But the introduction videos are gratis. And for that reason there is a lot of blah blah in there, with some marketing talk on the side. However it's still quite interesting as it helps you formulate why you want to take care of yourself. What is your motivation to work out? Eat more healthily? Go to bed on time? And what will your life look like if you continue on, or change to, an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise? Then imagine your life 5, or 10 or even 20 years down the line if you change your ways and look after that one body you have.

It sounds simple, but it is more powerful than you think. Of course it kind of leans on the secret and visualisation as well, but it adds some details as to how to what your brain and body need to be healthy. I probably won't do the entire programme, as a lot of information is not new. Let's face it, we all know the basics of healthy living. Work out, but not to much. Eat fruits and vegetables. Don't smoke or drink alcohol. It's not new, is it?

Training for the Amsterdam Marathon II week 18

Today I ran a 13 plus km run with Nydia, writer of the blog words to run by. We used to be colleagues, but kind of lost touch last year. It was a great, very hot run, through her old neigbourhood. We chatted the entire way, making sure I did not run too fast. Still it was perhaps a little above my personal pace, especially in this heat.

It's been a sweltering week, making it very hard to train, as one already melts when changing into the work out gear, let alone when going out for a run. I did manage to go out for a 6-7km run on Thursday early morning, but the rest just has been too warm. Not being a morning person and not sure how safe I feel running in the big city at night, it's been tough...

But in better news, no more pains after the longer stretching sessions laid down by the physical therapist.

On the food front, I started reading in the book 'the complete vegan kitchen' by chef Jannequin Bennett. And although I do not agree with everything and I'm not sure if I want to switch to an all vegan diet, it is very inspiring all the same. 

On to next week.

Training for the Amsterdam Marathon II week 17

This is one of my favourite routes to run. A rich in nature, lack of traffic lights, windy water-side 10 miles. Running past seasonal flowers. Striding next to wind surfers. It's freeing, makes you feel light.

This week I did alright. Not amazing. But alright. After a monthly hormonal migraine stopped me from running my short distance run and my interval, I did go out for my slightly longer interval and this lovely 10 miles (16 kilometres) run on the left. 

I also made a new vow to stop eating as much sugar, as Oreo cookies are too addictive and make me want other candy as well. So far so good (it has only been 4 days, but still, you know, see the positives).

Additionally I was inspired by an interview on Smart People Podcast with doctor Amen, to eat more healthily and spend some time, not just on my body, but on my brain as well. Although Dr. Amen is against marathons...so perhaps not the best inspirator at the moment...However he does believe in interval training. So perhaps that motivates to never skip that training ever again?

Finally, so amazing, I won the opportunity to run the Afsluitdijk-open. This dyke that closes off the North Sea to the centre of the Netherlands is 32,8 kilometres long and they're closing it off for a run event. At sunrise. This means running 30 kilometres at dawn by the sea, which seems horrible and amazing at the same time. Tickets are still available. Besides getting to run way to early in the day, you also get a once in a life time medal. Awesome! 

Training for the Amsterdam Marathon II week 13 - 16

So, again, alas, a tough couple of weeks. I transitioned into the actual marathon training, going from running 3 times a week to 4 times a week.

Week 13 was great. Three short runs and one 10K run on Saturday. It went great. Then the week after I was off to Dublin for work. I gave a talk at Re:co, which is the Ted talk of the coffee industry. It was scary and amazing, to talk in front of 100 of my coffee peers, about a subject so dear to my heart. And it went very well. But. I didn't go out running...

Week 15 saw me run a short 8K on Saturday, which left me injured again! Bullocks, crap, shit, and more of those words. Fortunately I already had an appointment booked with by physical therapist the following Monday, and after some dry needling, a run through some additional stretches that I need to do for my bigger leg muscles and calves before and after running, plus the tip to please go and check out my magnesium levels, I was off home again.

And then I got sick. Yes. I. Got. Sick...the flu. What can you do...I sneezed and wheezed all week, promising myself I would be better before the weekend. Thankfully I did feel a lot better on Saturday of week 16, so I pushed myself out of the door, after some extensive stretching (no worries, I was warmed up) and ran a quite lovely 14 K. Yeah. But the last 2K I did feel the same injury on the inside of my leg again! Not as bad as before, so hopefully the very time consuming stretches afterwards helped, and I can start training in week 17 without any pains or tribulations. 

Speak next week!

Monthly Tryout II Stand Up Boarding

The weather out side is getting better and better all the time. And in May I went stand up boarding (SUB) to celebrate. In the North East of Amsterdam you can find city beach Blijburg. A small beach right on the waters of the IJ. And on a bright Saturday morning me and my partner in crime were choosing what paddle length was appropriate for us.

The water was still cold, which was very motivating to not fall off and the soft summery breeze helped us not feel the sun burning on our bodies, no matter that it was so early in the morning.

It was so much fun. I was surprised how much easier it was to stay up right than I thought. And the feeling of freedom, standing on the board, looking into the distance to the high buildings of Amsterdam, in the sun and with a soft breeze...was one of the best feelings I've ever had. However, and maybe this is just me, this did not really feel like a work out. But perhaps I allready had abs of steel :)

Training for the Amsterdam Marathon II week 6

This was a bad, bad, bad training week...but on the bright side it was a really, really good work/private week. I went to CoLab, a three day event for baristas and other coffee professionals from Monday to Wednesday. All days were all day events, from workshops to competitions and so there was no time to go out for a run. 

But I did win the competition! Together with friend B, we formed the Dutch Dapper Duettes and won not only a trophy, but also a Brewista electric kettle, a pour-over system and server. Each. And let me tell you, it feels good to win something that's based on skills in your professional field.

As April apparently is Autumn weather, in stead of Spring, we had rain and even snow and hail on Thursday and Friday I was just extremely lazy. But I did force myself out on a run-walk-run on Saturday. I kept moving for almost 100 minutes. Originally I had 90 minutes in my schedule. But as I had not run enough this week and my legs were tired, I decided to walk every couple of kilometres and it took me longer to finish the route I had set out for myself. It's a great route though, if you're looking for a route in the East of Amsterdam, Diemerpark is great, filled with green, birds and bunnies. And if you run back through Diemen train station, you pass a real life llama. 

Hopefully next week will be better exercise wise, but at least I will be able to make great coffee with my new gear.

photo curtesy of the Barista League

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Next week: a 50 minute short run, an interval training, a lesson in bouldering and a 95 endurance run.

Training for the Amsterdam Marathon II week 5

A basic week this week. First a 40 minute run on Monday, a halve hour yoga session on Wednesday and a long distance run on Saturday.

This week I did change some other things though. The vegan diet has always intrigued me, because every single vegan you talk to says it gives them so much energy. But I'm never really sure what to make. So this week I picked a couple of easy 30 minute vegan recipes from the Bloglovin - the Edit. 

Especially the cauliflower rice, and the kimchi quinoa was amazingly scrumptious.

I'll probably not turn 100% vegan, but it was great to try for a week and discover some recipes that I enjoy, that are easy to make and that are meat and dairy free.

In line with that I bought a protein powder that is raw, vegan, and soy free. Now that I'm training more, I want to make sure my body does not feel abandoned after a workout. With the protein I can help my muscles out after a long workout. 

I've never used a protein powder, so I do not use it after every workout. Like, after a short 30-40 minute run a sandwich will do, but I do like it after a long and harder workout. Just to get used to it too. 

I did not want some strange protein, so after some research I found a plant based protein that is also soy free, which is important, because I do not want to have to much soy products as they are so high in hormones.

The taste is pretty awful so you do need to disguise it somewhat. I mixed a handful of spinach, with 5 sprigs of fresh mint, a slice of green melon with water and a scoop of the vanilla protein powder, and it tasted amazing! This protein is a bit grainy, which I gather from the internet is unusual. But I don't mind it.

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Next week I'm in Antwerp for work until Wednesday, and its a full program from morning till late in the evening, so I'm not sure if I can do a short run. So I will have to make up for that from Thursday till Sunday, with an interval and a 90 minute run.

Training for the Amsterdam Marathon II week 4

Week 4. Monday I did noooothing, at all. It was great. Tuesday I made up for my laziness with a 30 minute run with a couple of sprints.

Thursday should have marked an interval training, but in stead I went to a Saucony stride lab at the Run2Day Overtoom in Amsterdam. At the stride lab they give you a running analysis, give some running advice and then show you some shoes that work best for your running style.

And it was soooo informative! They put you on a running belt for a couple of minutes, and film you from the side, the back and the front. 

After you can see an analysis of how your hips move, if your knees are stable, how your ankles land and how far you 'jounce' (?), catching the hardness of the ground in your joints.

And so I learned that my hips are not as stable as they can be, but are still quite stable. This is quite common, apparently 8 out of 10 runners have unstable hips. This does not have to be a big problem, but it is important to have a strong core and work on having more stable hips, as it might give injuries if you are building up and increasing your distance. Which I am! So, something to work on. By working on my core, doing running exercises such as skipping and such and making sure I build up slowly. The good news? My knees and ankles are performing awesome! straight as a bird. 

I have a small step, and I bend my knee quite far, meaning I do not really need a strong cushioning shoe, as my knee bending does this work for me.

The shoes I had however are quite cushioning and springy. The guy mentioned this could just be my preference, but as my shins and feet do get tired really quickly he did advice me to try shoes that were not as cushioning. I tried some shoes out, with my old shoe on one foot and a more hard shoe on the other foot and the difference was huge!

And so I had a dilemma. Because my old shoes are still fine, and wouldn't need to be replaced for another couple of months. But the other shoes ran so great and the Run2Day had this sale where you could get a discount if you brought in your old shoes. But I just was not ready to hand over the old shoes. Especially as the stride lab guy argued that it would be good to interchange between the pairs the next couple of months....and then the best thing ever happened, and the Run2Day gave me the discount without me having to render my old pair! 

Best.deal.ever. 

And so this weekend I took my new shoes, (btw Saucony by chance, I tried out multiple brands during the Saucony stride lab) for my endurance run to test them out. And the difference was insane. My calves did not cramp, my shins did not hurt, I did not feel tired as soon...my foot did doze of as usual, however it was not as bad as it usually is. So yay!

If you also want to go to a stride lab and you live in the Netherlands, do check out the locations and dates, which you can do here. You can make an appointment (for free) on the Saucony stride lab website.

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Next week: 

40 minutes

interval

80 minutes

Training for the Amsterdam Marathon II week 3

Major faux pas this week. I went on a long run on Saturday without enough build up in the days before. There are all these rules out there which gives you the tools to determine how long your long run is allowed to be. You know, to avoid injuries. 

I ran 40 minutes on Monday, running home from the office. The colleagues thought I was insane, but for me it was a huge time saver. In stead of cycling back home for 30 minutes and then having to run for 40 minutes,  I could just run home. Right?

However, I completely failed at doing an interval training this week. It was Thursday. I was tired, I felt chills down my back all the time. I took a bath and had dinner in bed. It was great!

But I paid for it during my 80 minute run on Saturday which turned into a 70 minute run, because I started to feel too tired and was scared of hurting myself. I already felt it after 5K, and so I through in a short break stretching out my calves and decided to make the run a little shorter. Let's hope next week will be better...

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Next week's plans:

A 1 hour run on Monday, some vinyasa on Tuesday, an interval training on Thursday and then a long run of 70 minutes on Saturday.