Two runs for us today! First Stefaan and I headed out with Felix and Gillis for their second training run. (Florian had already done his run, twice around our block which is about 3.6 km total, earlier.) This time we decided to go all the way to the cemetary and back, which is 3 km total, and keep using the five minute run, one minute walk routine. They did great! Gillis pulled ahead and after the turn-around we didn't really see him anymore, but Stefaan was following him while I stayed back with Felix. We ended up taking 23 minutes to do the run.
Then, since we were all warmed up, we made sure the boys stretched, took a sip of water, and then we headed out for another run, because 23 minutes just doesn't seem like enough for a Sunday! We ran to the Heuvelhof park where they have been building a new "Finnish Trail" - has anyone heard of this before? - it's a very soft trail especially for running. To our surprise, it was nearly finished, so we ran on it - omygod, that is some workout - my shins and calves are sore from just one loop on it and even though I was running relatively slow on it, it was quite strenuous, I was really panting when we got to the end. Because your feet sink in so much you have to lift your legs up more and use more core muscles to keep your balance. I was thinking it should be good practice for our 5K in December, which is apparently on sandy trails. The weird thing is, once you leave the soft trail and get back on asphalt or sidewalks, it feels incredibly hard!
One round of the "Finse Piste" was enough for us today, so we headed back home, which gave us another 3 km total and 24 minutes.
Later today we are heading to Wavre, in French speaking Belgium, to visit some old friends who just finished renovating their home - hopefully Florian and Gillis will get to practice their school French a little bit and I will get to dust mine off, too!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Fun Friday!
This morning I headed off to the gym to cross train - which always seems so playful to me as compared to a treadmill run - and strength train. With the gorgeous weather we have been having I have been biking to the gym, because not only does it take the same amount of time as driving (about 10 minutes each way) but it is also beter for the environment and gets me 20 extra minutes of aerobic exercise in.
Then I met my friend Anne for lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Leuven where she had arranged for them to specially prepare a delicious tofu dish for me. Anne is originally from Hong Kong, so I wasn't surprised at all when the restaurant she chose was the same one our friend from Taiwan used to eat in every week when she was in Leuven doing her PhD - what more recommendation do you need than the home crowd choosing it? (For those of you in Leuven, it's the Hong Kong Restaurant in the Parkstraat!) Anyway, the food was delicious and the welcome was very warm and Anne and I had a great time catching up since we hadn't seen each other all through the summer. I JUST made it to school on time to meet the boys!
The gorgeous weather is supposed to hang in here all weekend. Have a great one!
Then I met my friend Anne for lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Leuven where she had arranged for them to specially prepare a delicious tofu dish for me. Anne is originally from Hong Kong, so I wasn't surprised at all when the restaurant she chose was the same one our friend from Taiwan used to eat in every week when she was in Leuven doing her PhD - what more recommendation do you need than the home crowd choosing it? (For those of you in Leuven, it's the Hong Kong Restaurant in the Parkstraat!) Anyway, the food was delicious and the welcome was very warm and Anne and I had a great time catching up since we hadn't seen each other all through the summer. I JUST made it to school on time to meet the boys!
The gorgeous weather is supposed to hang in here all weekend. Have a great one!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Faster than you think!
From left to right: FL, G and FX.
FL decided to sit the first training run out - he had to go to judo later in the day and he's 13 and had other things to do on a Wednesday afternoon, so I didn't push it. But G and FX were raring to go!
We started out and in no time they were ahead of me. I kept to a real slow jog and we did 4 segments of 5 minutes running with one minute walking. They did great! G is definitely speedy, once we got to the turn around point and headed home he got so far ahead of FX and me that we didn't see him again until our front porch. They both ended up doing 2 km, G in 20 minutes and FX in 22. Wow!
I had my usual neighborhood run on the schedule today and I ended up doing 5.2 km in 35 minutes. It went okay, the first bit was sort of hard, but I think part of that was that it was still so misty and chilly out and I had really counted on better weather. Oh well. Slowly but surely I will build back up to running 7 or 8 on Thursdays before I get started on my half marathon plan in mid November after my workshops with Linda are done.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
I'm A Coach!
Wow, I am so excited - as of tomorrow I will be the official coach for my three boys in their training to run a 5K with all of the family when we all get together in Florida at Christmas. Jenny found a race that includes a 5K and a Half Marathon near where she lives here, and it sounds like quite a few of us are going to sign up and run - there should be representatives from all three generations participating! In my case, amazingly enough, all three of my boys wanted to do it! We have invited them to run with us before, but this time I think the idea of running with their cousins, aunts, uncle and grandma was what convinced them. My middle son was so pumped up about it when they heard about it on Sunday that he went out and ran circles around our yard for a while.
Today we are going to get all of them a good pair of running shoes and tomorrow the training begins! We're going to start off with a "Start to Run" type program, alternating walking and running, and just two times a week to begin.
I hit the gym today (have to be a good example and in good shape now that I'm a coach!), did 30 minutes on the treadmill (4.62 km - slightly more than last time) and then my strength training, which also took about 30 minutes. They recently rearranged all the gym equipment and I really like the way the weight machines are set up now. They used to be in circular groups, facing each other, and now they are in nice, neat rows. Much, much better!
Today we are going to get all of them a good pair of running shoes and tomorrow the training begins! We're going to start off with a "Start to Run" type program, alternating walking and running, and just two times a week to begin.
I hit the gym today (have to be a good example and in good shape now that I'm a coach!), did 30 minutes on the treadmill (4.62 km - slightly more than last time) and then my strength training, which also took about 30 minutes. They recently rearranged all the gym equipment and I really like the way the weight machines are set up now. They used to be in circular groups, facing each other, and now they are in nice, neat rows. Much, much better!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Beautiful Fall Morning
We have been very lucky with the weather the past week - it's been sunny and crisp, just the kind of fall I love. It's also gotten very chilly out at night: I've seen frost twice this week early in the morning and bikers need to wear gloves! Time to get the winter duvets out!
So this morning we were looking forward to our first run back at the lake since we got home from Texas. It was great to be out in the fresh air. The leaves are starting to turn and we have to watch out for chestnuts on the path again. We did an easy four loops in 36 minutes (5.6 km), and while the first one felt a bit hard, by the end we were both back into a groove. Stefaan's new Asics shoes he bought with his gift certificate from the Hottest Race are working out well, too.
I'll have to be thinking about a training plan for the next couple months and then from November it will be back to a half marathon training plan. The only drawback for me in running a big race like that in March is that the main training months will be December, January, and February - not the greatest outdoor months here! At least it isn't as hard as living in the Midwest or Canada, I won't have to worry about snow...just rain! And yes, there is always the treadmill!
So this morning we were looking forward to our first run back at the lake since we got home from Texas. It was great to be out in the fresh air. The leaves are starting to turn and we have to watch out for chestnuts on the path again. We did an easy four loops in 36 minutes (5.6 km), and while the first one felt a bit hard, by the end we were both back into a groove. Stefaan's new Asics shoes he bought with his gift certificate from the Hottest Race are working out well, too.
I'll have to be thinking about a training plan for the next couple months and then from November it will be back to a half marathon training plan. The only drawback for me in running a big race like that in March is that the main training months will be December, January, and February - not the greatest outdoor months here! At least it isn't as hard as living in the Midwest or Canada, I won't have to worry about snow...just rain! And yes, there is always the treadmill!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Been Sick
Just a short post to say I've been out with the flu, but things are looking up and I hope to be back to my running and working out very soon (tomorrow if all goes well). Cheers to everyone!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Oops, it's been a whole week!
...but I have been running, honestly I have! Just have not managed to drag my behind up to the computer. The first week of school was hectic, but in a good way. I've just been catching up on everyone's blogs and sounds like I'm not the only one. September always seems to be like that, but still I love it because it always feels like a fresh start.
Last Thursday I ran a new neighborhood route, which took me 40 minutes and ended up being 5.7 km. On Sunday, we didn't get out for our long run because it was pouring down rain, and by the time it let up, Stefaan had promised the boys he would take them swimming, so I got out by myself around the neighborhood for 30 minutes - the absolute minimum I need to do to keep me from crawling the walls! I haven't mapped it yet, but I am guessing it was about 4.5 kilometers.
Today I headed to the gym for my 30 minute run on the treadmill and my *new* strength workout, which took about 40 minutes. I was kind of disoriented at first because they rearranged all the equipment at the gym, but it was actually quite a nice change, and things seem more logically laid out now. I felt good that I didn't get spooked by anything and did all my planned exercises. Eddy Demarez, the sports reader on our local TV news, was there working out too this morning. Last week actually they filmed at my gym for the news (it was a story on how people with a slightly higher BMI than normal, i.e. 25-27, are supposed to be healthier) and actually interviewed this one lady I often run next to. She did a great job, getting interviewed while on a treadmill. Thank goodness I wasn't there that day - I would have been horrified to be on the news with my tomato face! But it was fun to see it on TV!
Last Thursday I ran a new neighborhood route, which took me 40 minutes and ended up being 5.7 km. On Sunday, we didn't get out for our long run because it was pouring down rain, and by the time it let up, Stefaan had promised the boys he would take them swimming, so I got out by myself around the neighborhood for 30 minutes - the absolute minimum I need to do to keep me from crawling the walls! I haven't mapped it yet, but I am guessing it was about 4.5 kilometers.
Today I headed to the gym for my 30 minute run on the treadmill and my *new* strength workout, which took about 40 minutes. I was kind of disoriented at first because they rearranged all the equipment at the gym, but it was actually quite a nice change, and things seem more logically laid out now. I felt good that I didn't get spooked by anything and did all my planned exercises. Eddy Demarez, the sports reader on our local TV news, was there working out too this morning. Last week actually they filmed at my gym for the news (it was a story on how people with a slightly higher BMI than normal, i.e. 25-27, are supposed to be healthier) and actually interviewed this one lady I often run next to. She did a great job, getting interviewed while on a treadmill. Thank goodness I wasn't there that day - I would have been horrified to be on the news with my tomato face! But it was fun to see it on TV!
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