Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Free translation (you get what you pay for)

Just in from brother-in-law and coach Mark:

Hi Amy,

I thought you might get a kick out of this. I pasted the text from your blog into a free web translation (http://ets.freetranslation.com/). They'll do it "professionally" for $78.95 I doubt this is anywhere near what you really said, but is quite entertaining:

Vlaanderen walks. Eagerly even, the papers inform. More men
then ever begin with jog via the popular Start to Run programs: in ten soak
your condition gradually build up until you five kilometers can walk, in one
time.,.

I am meditate against my you-Start. For the 65ste birthday of my mother has my youngest sister (oh yes, the youngest, most slender and sportievste of the four daughters) everybody persuaded to walk with our mother a half marathon together. Unfortunately everybody has onbesuisd and immediately yes said at her
proposal.

I was always allergic at sport and certainly on walk. Though that sweats over,
and that breasts that painfully and down zwierden. It was really not my
thing. Only do no escape: zusjelief had us all omgepraat and in the
bargain, registered. I knew immediately that it a lot work at the store
would be and that I myself should invest. I registered me thus for a course program for beginners and am then direct to the lingeriewinkel a sturdy sport BH will buy.
Nothing better then shoppen on to warm!

Myself to hold the training fully, I have to motivate registered myself also for a real 5K competition course. Better no stick behind the door then pure fear. My target was the whole parcours can remove moan without or to have to stop in difficulty breathing and to make myself ridiculously. No easy task as you it in the beginning no minute can endure want to stand 5000 meters walk!

The day of my first 5K, I do never want to forget. I was fearfully. I knew not had to expect what I. There were so much other women that it so strong and fast looked forward. I resolved to do me usual my best and to remain move my feet. When the starting shot went and were we left. After the first three kilometers, I stood adjusted of myself. I wanted to have it! It went! And then I 33 minutes and 26 seconds later on the end line got, saw to understand I bang red, of proud hat well. I was in it succeeded something to do that I for myself always impossibly considered had. Go along. What an ongeloofelijk feel.

On that moment am I a course star become and I remain but further do. Why? Lust? Real, of allergiën you do not come not so fast off. Well because that half marathon dreadfully nearby comes and as old of the sisters want I certainly not below do, because I me fitter and more energetically than ever feel, because one challenge remains it fully to hold, but especially because I more positive and more self-assured became and, not unimportantly, because it in the meantime eight kilos less go along.

And although I myself cannot imagine, about which men voluntarily with zoiets dreadfully begin, understand I completely all that meelopers in Flanders. We walk because we the can and that is a glorious feeling.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Exam week

It's exam week here in Belgium and all the secondary school students are slogging through the rain to get back and forth to school to take their exams and then home again to study. Whew! My oldest as well...his first exam was Latin this morning and it seems to have gone very well. Only nine more exams to go, he'll finish finally next Tuesday and then have two days off before he gets his report card.

I had the pleasure of meeting both with my workshop partner Linda for breakfast and three of my classmate friends from my course for lunch! A big eating day! But it was all healthy, including the delicious meal at Lukemieke, the wonderful vegetarian restaurant here in Leuven. Yum! Just looking at the plate makes you feel healthy with all the colors and variety of vegetables. And it was delicious.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Voor nederlandstalige lezers!

I've been taking a writing class in Dutch and we had to write a column this week, so I decided to write about...running! I am so pleased with how it came out (thanks Stefaan for the editing!) that I am posting it here, for anybody who reads this blog and is Dutch-speaking. Enjoy!

Meeloper

Vlaanderen loopt. Gretig zelfs, berichten de kranten. Meer mensen dan ooit beginnen met joggen via de populaire Start to Run programmas: in tien weken je conditie geleidelijk opbouwen totdat je vijf kilometer kan lopen, in één keer.

Ik ben tegen mijn zin ge-Start. Voor de 65ste verjaardag van mijn moeder heeft mijn jongste zus (jawel, de jongste, slankste en sportievste van de vier dochters) iedereen overhaald om met ons moeder een halve marathon samen te lopen. Jammer genoeg heeft iedereen onbesuisd en direct ja gezegd aan haar voorstel.

Ik was altijd allergisch aan sport en zeker aan lopen. Al dat zweten, en die borsten die pijnlijk op en neer zwierden. Het was echt niet mijn ding. Maar geen ontkomen aan: zusjelief had ons allemaal omgepraat en op de koop toe, ingeschreven. Ik wist onmiddellijk dat er heel wat werk aan de winkel zou zijn en dat ik mezelf zou moeten investeren. Ik heb me dus ingeschreven voor een loopprogramma voor beginnelingen en ben dan direct naar de lingeriewinkel een stevige sport BH gaan kopen. Niets beters dan shoppen om op te warmen!

Om mezelf te motiveren om de trainingen vol te houden, heb ik me ook ingeschreven voor een echte 5K wedstrijdloop. Geen betere stok achter de deur dan pure angst. Mijn doel was het hele parcours te kunnen uitdoen zonder kreunen of in ademnood te moeten stoppen en mezelf belachelijk te maken. Geen gemakkelijke opdracht als je het in het begin geen minuut kan uithouden laat staan 5000 meter lopen!

De dag van mijn eerste 5K zal ik nooit vergeten. Ik was bang. Ik wist niet wat ik moest verwachten. Er waren zoveel andere vrouwen die er zo sterk en snel uitzagen. Ik heb me voorgenomen om gewoon mijn best te doen en mijn voeten te blijven verplaatsen. Toen ging het startschot en waren we vertrokken. Na de eerste drie kilometers stond ik versteld van mezelf. Ik kon het! Het ging! En toen ik 33 minuten en 26 seconden later de eindstreep haalde, zag ik knalrood, van fierhied wel te verstaan. Ik was erin geslagd iets te doen dat ik voor mezelf altijd onmogelijk geacht had. Meelopen. Wat een ongeloofelijk gevoel.

Op dat moment ben ik een loopster geworden en ik blijf maar verder doen. Waarom? Verslaving? Niet echt, van allergiën kom je niet zo snel af. Wel omdat die halve marathon vreselijk dichtbij komt en als oudste van de zussen wil ik zeker niet onder doen, omdat ik mij fitter en energieker dan ooit voel, omdat het een uitdaging blijft om het vol te houden, maar vooral omdat ik positiever en zelfzekerder ben geworden en, niet onbelangrijk, omdat er intussen acht kilo minder meeloopt.

En hoewel ik me niet kan inbeelden waarom mensen vrijwillig met zoiets vreselijks beginnen, begrijp ik volkomen al die meelopers in Vlaanderen. Wij lopen omdat wij het kunnen en dat is een zalig gevoel.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

8 on the 8th

On Friday the weather report for the weekend was not too great - they were predicting lots of wind and rain on Sunday. So when we got up this morning and it looked quite nice out (sunny and no wind but still cold) I started thinking about how we could rearrange our day to beat the storm, and get the run in on Saturday instead of Sunday.

We were partially successful! We ended up dropping our youngest off at a birthday party at 2 pm and going straight to the lake. I felt a bit self-conscious taking my kid to a party dressed in my running togs (yes, the tights!) but no one seemed to notice. It was still dry but the skies were looking grayer and grayer.

Our goal was to do 9 loops, which would have been just about 8 miles. I was a bit apprehensive with this being my first long run since being out sick. The first three loops went fine, although Jenny was right when she said it would be my speed I would lose and not my conditioning. While the running felt fine, I was definitely running at a slower pace, taking about ten minutes to do each loop instead of our previous 8 to 9 minutes we had been running this fall.

Then during our fourth loop, the wind started to pick up and a light rain began to fall. I had to put my hood on, and wrap my scarf around it to keep it from blowing off. Gradually the rain got harder, and I had to take my glasses off because they kept fogging and were really annoying. That was a bit weird to suddenly not see so well! I do run on the treadmill without my glasses, but then you don't need to watch the path to make sure you miss rocks, sticks, etc. But we just kept going, and finished loops 5 and 6.

As we were doing loop 7 the wind and rain really started to pick up. My nose was running like crazy. I was wondering to myself if it made sense to get myself soaked and frozen just to do the full long run I had planned. As we finished the 8th loop I felt that it was a nice accomplishment after being out of commission for ten days and that I would be satisfied with doing 8 and we thankfully headed for the shelter of our car. So our total time was 80 minutes for 8 loops (11.2 km or 7 miles).

I am so glad we got it done - the wind is blowing and the rain is pouring as I write this and it looks like tomorrow will be even worse. But even more than that, what a luxury it will be tomorrow morning to not have that run hanging over my head!

Thanks to Nancy for organizing this! As I was running I kept thinking of everyone else who would be running 8 today or tomorrow. And even though I wasn't able to do 8 miles, I feel like my 8 loops still connects me to the spirit of all the other runners who were also out there all over the world! Congratulations to everyone!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Sinterklaas


Yesterday it was Sinterklaas' big day here - and we kept bumping into him everywhere: at judo and badminton lessons, at the store, at school, even at the gym! Yes, as I was very sweaty and running on the treadmill, who should appear to offer everyone a clementine and some chocolate, but Sinterklaas and his faithful helper Piet. There is something that just doesn't make sense about giving sweaty people on cardio machines chocolate, but this is Belgium after all, and there are a lot of things here that don't make sense, but often in a good way, like getting two bottles of wine for running in the Corrida! Working out for chocolate and running for wine - what a lifestyle!
Running-wise, things seem to be going better for me as the week ends. I did a speed workout yesterday (5K in 36 minutes) and although I did have to modify a bit, it went fine and I felt so much better about things after having done it.
I have also been walking to boys to school each morning to build my stamina back up without knocking myself out too much right away. It seems to be working. So I am hopeful for my long run on Sunday - the goal is going to be running the km equivalent of 8 miles (to participate in Nancy's "8 on the 8th" challenge for this weekend at Runner's Lounge) and I think it should be okay as long as the weather holds out!
Next week is my last writing class and the assignement was to write a column. I was wracking my brain about what burning topic I could possibly write about and then it hit me - DUH - running! So I wrote a fun piece basically summing up my experiences these past two years as a beginning runner and what they have meant to me. Glad to have that done so I have more time to bake Christmas cookies this weekend!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Momentum

My momentum...where has it gone? I feel like I've come to a screeching halt and it is rough going to get things going again.

Yesterday I took a 30 minute walk. This morning I took another 30 minute walk (taking the boys to school), then I went to the gym and ran 4 km in 30 minutes on the treadmill, which was what I wanted to do. This afternoon I will get 30 more minutes of walking in when I go to my writing class.

I did get a lot of Christmas shopping and cards done yesterday, but I am still feeling like there is so much to be done!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Back in the saddle

Yesterday I wisely followed coach Jenny and coach Mark's advice and took a 30 minute walk. It was a pretty, sunny morning out and it felt good to get some fresh air. By the end of the walk, I was starting to feel wobbly, like I would normally feel after a long run. So I was a bit discouraged about that. But thankfully Joy reminded me of one of the Four Agreements: "Just do your best". And I decided that was all I could do and tried not to worry about today.

This morning it was very windy but not raining so Stefaan and I decided to do a short run/walk to the cemetary and back. It was more walking than jogging, but I did get some longer jogging segments in and they felt okay. By the time we got to our turn around, it had started raining, so we had to face that the rest of the way home. But I am glad we got out and it felt better than yesterday. Total time was 30 minutes.

This week will be about doing my best each day and hopefully by the end of the week I will be back to a reasonable level of working out.