Monday, April 10, 2017

BACK TO BERLIN: Week 13




Too many people have refused to begin running or have quickly dropped out of running programs because they 'have no talent for it.' Ridiculous. Talent has nothing to do with it. The only thing that matters is mental discipline.
- Amby Burfoot -



This Week's Purpose


I love beginning the week with a sense of purpose.  


My purpose this week (Week 13: 10.04 - 16.04) is to research on how to be an effective runner.



***** (please, see at the bottom of the post, how I fared at the end of the week with my intentions) 



Since I almost always write a daily impression of my day in my Instagram account, I will link my daily post there, here. If you would like to read a longer recounting of a specific day, simply click on the date (when link is available!) and you will be redirected to @happyfeetnl
 



10.04.17, Monday : 20 bike km, rest from running




11.04.17, Tuesday:  20 bike km, 5K tempo





12.04.17, Wednesday:  


20 bike km and I shared my 4 minute planking routine on my IG Stories












13.04.17, Thursday

20 bike km 




 2

20 bi

14.04.17, Friday

PR on my 5K!!! I'm currently putting together my 5K story: 2011 - 2017; hopefully, you will be patient with me (I am sure you are, if you are still a loyal blog follower at this point! :D ), until I can give you the complete story of my road to this 5K PR.














15.04.17, Saturday:  

As P my beloved, K (middle daughter) and M (youngest daughter) put together a 1,000 piece puzzle, I put together pieces of my own mental process puzzle!  The result in a separate blog (continuing the series of  Detoxing Happy Feet 2017). :)






16.04.17, Sunday:  

Simple (Easter) Sunday!










Total  :    80  biking km /     11 (rounded off ) running km




***** P.S. On the purpose of this week : I discovered my new "running coach"! :D

Resting on the couch on a very lazy Sunday, M gave me a quick tutorial on how to view youtube on our SmartTV. Yup, the youngest in the family teaches the rest of us, how to use technology! :D

This is how (through random zapping!) I came across, The Run Experience.  I don't want to get into every thing I watched and every thing that I will be trying out in this blog, all out once.  So, you'll probably see/read what I have learned and what I am trying in the coming weekly training recaps.

I am excited about my training in the coming weeks, and excited to share them to all of you. Here is hoping we all learn something to keep moving forward and becoming happier & stronger runners. :)


✓ Week 1, 2 and 3 (Biking : 188 km Running (started 3rd week: 21 km)
✓ Week 4 (Biking : 60 km Running : 13 km )
 Week 5  (Biking : 50 km Running : 29 km )
 Week 6 (Biking 0 Spring BreakRunning : 29 km )
 Week 7 (Biking : 60 km  Running : 36 km)
✓ Week 8 (Biking : 43 km  Running : 35 km) 
 Week 9 (Biking :  20 km  Running : 32  km)
✓ Week 10 (Biking : 50 km  Running : 24 km) TAPER
✓ Week 11 (Biking : 50 km  Running : 22 km)  RACE WEEK/10K
✓ Week 12 (Biking : 41 km  Running : 33 km) 
✓ Week 13 (Biking :  80 km  Running : 11 km ) 




13 weeks of Biking : 642 km
11  weeks of Running :  285 km



created 10.04.17 13:01 Monday
updated   19.04.17 01:37   Wednesday

actually published 20.07.17 12:32



Blogger's Note:  Due to daily life being busy, I had a lot of my weekly marathon update written in blog draft form.  Specifically  Berlin Marathon Training Week 13 - Week 26, all remained unpublished.  Until today!

Beginning this week: Week 27, I will be regularly publishing training updates once again, every Monday.  Week 13 - Week 26 will be edited as time becomes available but I would like to finish them before my 6th RUNniversay (in 19 days!). Basically, I have at least a day for each unpublished blog draft.

Often, when I go back to piece together my own story/documentation, I can no longer recall why and how I did, what I did. hahaha ;)

This is  the original reason, why I started blogging after all: to remember and never forget! :)

The dates of the blogposts will  be the dates , they were created in draft form. I'll be publishing them with annotations (such as what you are reading , now! :D ) mainly to avoid confusion in the future!  

Specially if lots of time has passed in between; I've learned not to trust my own memory and simply write everything down. 

If you would like to read through/back from Week 13 until Week 26, you can find these posts under the tag:  

They (a total of 14 blogposts) won't show up all at once because I am still in the process of (20.07.17: 1 published blog!) finishing each post.  

It is always about the links, the notes for specific training days (thoughts/epiphanies  I had during the run, which I don't want to forget!) and my struggle to let go of my perfectionism, which makes it longer for me to publish!

Anyway! Taking a much needed rest  (from blogging, social media, training), and what I did during those breaks helped me a lot regain a more positive, productive attitude.  I've re-learned how to look at and approach everything with simplicity.  I hope my renewed energy, positive attitude, my never ending quest to simplify will continue on as I write my future blogs.

BACK TO BERLIN: Week 12

Photo taken my M

#ivebeenplanking
April 2017
Challenge
4 min/daily


"Part of courage is simple consistency."


This Week's Purpose


I love beginning the week with a sense of purpose.  


My purpose this week (Week 12: 03.04 - 09.04) is to prepare my body, mind and spirit to run a slow but steady LDR pace.



***** (please, see at the bottom of the post, how I fared at the end of the week with my intentions) 



Since I almost always write a daily impression of my day in my Instagram account, I will link my daily post there, here. If you would like to read a longer recounting of a specific day, simply click on the date and you will be redirected to @happyfeetnl




03.04.17, Monday :  

K (middle daughter) brought M (youngest daughter) to school, and I biked a total of 11 km in the afternoon to pick her up; we went to the woods before going home.

Great quality time together spent in our favourite spot; M moments are always Zen moments!







04.04.17, Tuesday:  

Dada (as the girls call, P) brought M to school and I biked 10 km in the afternoon to pick her up.

This was my After-Recovery-Run Selfie

 / 4 km recovery run

The picture below from last Sunday's (02.04.17) race is what I posted on IG to share my running stats. I love it and I look at it, when I don't feel like going out or getting off the couch! hahaha




05.04.17, Wednesday:  Dada brought M to school.  I napped until almost noon, and then it was time to pick up M: 10 bike km.








06.04.17, Thursday:  

A productive day!

10 bike km, after I brought M to school, and K picked her up in the afternoon. 

I started planking outdoors but our cat Harry was playfully attacking me so I ended up finishing indoors.


Before dinner I got my 10.5 km (tempo training) run done.






4 min/daily in April




07.04.17, Friday

0 biking km, 0 running km

Hahaha thank goodness for IG story! I simply could not recall what I did on Friday and as always Google Photos (I am a "photo-journalist" :D ) helped jumpstart my memory. 

I did not post anything on my Instagram gallery but did share this in my Instagram story:




J (oldest daughter) took pictures of me (please click on the 6th of April for the longer version of the story :) ).  This is one of those picture.

I do this kind of "visual self-therapy" to break through my cloudy mind.  It helps get rid of negative thoughts.

Before I forget! A friend sent a thoughtful message, after I shared this.  She had the same sentiments I did about how to treat such kind of days: rest, recover and take it easy! :)


08.04.17, Saturday:  


5K shake out run






09.04.17, Sunday:  

14K LDR done before dinner.  During the day, I snuggled with P and just rested while following a marathon race on the mobile phone. :D

On this day, a lot of running friends ran the Rotterdam Marathon. Out of sentimentality and to show support and respect to my friends, I shared photos from my three consecutive years of participation.



It's too early to say but I would love to successfully complete the full marathon of this very popular event in Holland. One day in the future.







Total  :       41 biking km /     34 (rounded off ) running km




***** P.S. On the purpose of this week : I was not very successful on the "slow, steady" pace for Sunday's long distance run.  

What I am VERY happy about despite not achieving the consistent pace, the run session itself as a whole felt great. Confidence boosting! It's great to feel your body getting stronger and making good decisions regarding taking care of oneself.

I wanted to do separate blogs (I already have one in draft mode for the first 10 weeks of training) with my analysis and interpretation of my running stats for Berlin marathon training  Knowing myself, though, I might forget so I will include my LDR, here to make sure I won't forget to do a separate blog, and 


The first 5 km, I was trying to "slow down" because I knew I was going too fast. On my training plan was 8'11''-8'46'' average pace.  It is all about preparing the body and building up muscles for continuously running long distances. I ignored this kind of training a lot in the last 5 years because I was simply focused on getting myself out and getting myself back at home ASAP. hahaha

From km 6-8, I tried to bring myself to the prescribed pace. I felt my knees, ankle (specially the problematic right leg!) and calves tightening.  I accelerated by kilometre 9 and it felt much better. I continued with speeding up until km 13 and cooled down with the last km.



✓ Week 1, 2 and 3 (Biking : 188 km Running (started 3rd week: 21 km)
✓ Week 4 (Biking : 60 km Running : 13 km )
 Week 5  (Biking : 50 km Running : 29 km )
 Week 6 (Biking 0 Spring BreakRunning : 29 km )
 Week 7 (Biking : 60 km  Running : 36 km)
✓ Week 8 (Biking : 43 km  Running : 35 km) 
 Week 9 (Biking :  20 km  Running : 32  km)
✓ Week 10 (Biking : 50 km  Running : 24 km) TAPER
 Week 11 (Biking : 50 km  Running : 22 km)  RACE WEEK/10K
 Week 12 (Biking : 41 km  Running : 33 km) 



12 weeks of Biking : 562 km
10   weeks of Running : 274 km


created 27.03.17 11:55 Monday

updated   10.04.17 13:14  Monday

Thursday, April 6, 2017

BACK TO BERLIN: Week 11



Photo is a screenshot from the video clip of my sprint to the finishline mat! 😄 I was getting nice (audio) feedback from my Nike+ mobile app, that I could not wait to see the result.

02.04.17



“Life is a race, and what matters most isn't when a person crosses the finish line, but how strong they've grown along the way.” ― Jen StephensThe Heart's Journey Home




This Week's Purpose


I love beginning the week with a sense of purpose.  


My purpose this week (Week 11: 27.03 - 02.04) is to prepare my body, mind and spirit to run my first race for 2017.

***** (please, see at the bottom of the post, how I fared at the end of the week with my intentions) 




*Since I almost always write a daily impression of my day in my Instagram account, I will link my daily post there, here. If you would like to read a longer recounting of a specific day, simply click on the date and you will be redirected to @happyfeetnl
27.03.17, Monday : 

K brought M to school, and I picked her up - biked 10 km.




Sadly, a 5.02 km painful recovery run.





28.03.17, Tuesday:  RESTED - right leg in still in pain! 

0 biking 0 running, lots of self-pitying but not completely -  gathered info in the morning re: my possible injury, stood up in the afternoon and was feeling more positive after I wrote my post*, looking back on Monday's test run.



On Monday's test run I tried smiling;
although my right foot/leg is aching
my brain needed a positive signal!


What a positive energy boosting, sight!

Beloved P picking me up after my run.
I did not have to bike home
and we had a good chat
before dinner on the way home.


29.03.17, Wednesday:  

20 bike km, and wrote messages - writing therapy to clear the cobwebs in my mind!  




My über-delayed monthly period began! last time it was the 10th of February - almost 3 weeks delayed. This will come over as TMI but I want to document about this because my hormones affects my mental state as well as my running.


30.03.17, Thursday

Biked 10 km and did a series of stretch exercises


I LOVE Spring!
Even if the sun hides itself behind the clouds,
the beauty of the blossoms shines through!

Sometimes, you simply have to stretch your soul and "dance"!

Dancer's Pose #StretchRevolutionChallengeMarch 2017


31.03.17, Friday:  

Biked 10 km.


3.10 km to say goodbye to beautiful March! (125.7 km this month's total with this run)



It was, simply put : a run to relieve myself of worries and it did the deed!





APRIL 


01.04.17, Saturday:  

Shake out run for Sunday's 10K

I wrote in my IG account* a mental prep after I ran this 4 km distance. 






02.04.17, Sunday:  

This is what I wrote on the 27th of March -

10K Hilversum City Run : race goal is to run a steady pace of 7'00''; if body is up to it, and no pain on the right ankle, calf, perhaps going to try for an official 5K race PR. 


The photo below sums up how I felt on the 2nd of April, taken seconds after the race!  

Official time: 1:08:13! 

Happy with the overall result of the run. I ran at a very easy pace, and even managed a sprint at the end. The worries of the right leg forgotten.

 (I had trouble with my breath at some points, which can be seen on the race video, since it is still  a struggle for me to keep anxiety at bay and have an even breathing...i.e. not hyper-ventilate)






.

Total  :     50  biking km /     22 (rounded off ) running km



***** P.S. On the purpose of this week : I did it! 


✓ Week 1, 2 and 3 (Biking : 188 km Running (started 3rd week: 21 km)
✓ Week 4 (Biking : 60 km Running : 13 km )
 Week 5  (Biking : 50 km Running : 29 km )
 Week 6 (Biking 0 Spring BreakRunning : 29 km )
 Week 7 (Biking : 60 km  Running : 36 km)
✓ Week 8 (Biking : 43 km  Running : 35 km) 
 Week 9 (Biking :  20 km  Running : 32  km)
✓ Week 10 (Biking : 50 km  Running : 24 km) 
 Week 11 (Biking : 50 km  Running : 22 km) 



11 weeks of Biking : 521 km
9   weeks of Running : 241 km



created 27.03.17 11:17 Monday
updated   10.04.17 12:03 Monday