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5 years, 3 months and 11 days (Read 1057 times)

    In the Xmas period of 2006, the basket club where my kids play, organized a match between the parents of the players & the girlfriends of the trainers. 10 minutes in the game, with my legs burning & out of breath, I had to sit on the bench. While trying to get some air on my lungs, I witnessed the humiliating defeat of my team, and promised to myself, that such a thing wouldn’t happen again.

     

    That day I realized that not being fat is not necessarily equal to being fit, and decided to do “something” about it.

     

    The next day, surfing on the net, I found the website of coolrunning.com where they had an apparently simple “Start to Run” program, so I decided to give it a try, and started exactly on 31/12/2006….

     

    The rest is history:

     

    All started with 1 min running, 2 min walking, 1 running … (then I realized how long a minute can be), a few days per week, week after week and before I realized it was week 10 and I could run 30 min non-stop !!!!

     

    Then I read that it was ok to increase the running volume 10% per week and so did I. Then the first 10k race came, then the first 15K, then the first HM and before I realized I had become “a runner”:

     

    I’ve run with icycles on my brain, I’ve run with the melting asphalt sticking to the soles of my shoes.

     

    I’ve run on a thunderstorm (just once … that scared the hell out of me), I’ve run on a mini-snowstorm (and that’s cool !!!)

     

    I’ve had ITBS, I have “gout-triggered” arthrosis … but thanks God nothing that a good pair of Brooks can’t alleviate so far.

     

    I’ve been chased by dogs in Belgium, Greece & Spain, definitely the wrong species in the wrong planet.

     

    I’ve burned 20 pair of shoes (12 x Brooks,  4 x adidas, ….), 3 watches & 2 iPods.

     

    I have probably enough T-shirts from races not to need to buy a new one for the rest of my life.

     

    I’ve drunk hundreds of liter of Isostar … and I guess hundreds of beers as well (I live in Belgium, you know?).

     

    I’ve had two landings on an iced road, one on grint and a pretty hard one on asphalt… and I moved on

     

    When coolrunning.com sold its soul, I moved to runningahead.com (Thanks Eric!!)

     

    I’ve moved from 65 kg … to 65 kg (I guess there wasn’t too much fat to burn anyway).

     

     I’ve got a veeeery patient wife.

     

    What back then would have been a superhuman achievement, today it’s just an easy 15K on a sunny Sunday morning

     

    I’ve learnt about discipline, sacrifice and the amazing power of human will (I know, for something as trivial as running, but still ….)

     

    I thank the Heavens every day for keeping me healthy enough to … RUN

     

    I’ve experienced absolute happiness when I saw the Gates of Heaven disguissed in the Finish Line of my first Marathon.

     

    I’ve experienced absolute exhaustion (take any of my Marathons around km 35-38).

     

    I’ve experienced absolute boredom (ever tried 90 min on a treadmill?)

     

    I’ve run 7 Marathons, the first 32 km with my legs, the final 10 with my Will.

     

    I still have to figure out what’s “fun” about running Marathons, so I keep running them till I find “the” answer ;-)

     

    I’ve WON one (short & local) race … and “lost” all others.

     

    I’ve probably become faster than 99,9% of the population of this planet.

     

    I don’t stretch, I don’t follow a training plan, I threw away my HR monitor after the first 2000 km. I just put my shoes on and RUN.

     

    I used to train as a mean to reach the goal of a good race. Nowadays the race is the excuse, the training is the goal, or better, RUNNING is the goal.

     

    I’ve learnt to enjoy the weather, ANY weather (except … thunderstorms!)

     

    I’ve run in 30+ countries in 5 continents.

     

    I’ve been running for 275 consecutive weeks, basically I haven’t stopped … since I started.

     

    I’ve run 16.093 km

     

    I HAVE RUN 10.000 MILES !!!

     

    ….the dream goes on

    Targets 1) No injuries 2) Keep having fun 3) Some kind of PR

    HermosaBoy


      Congratulations!

      And you can quote me as saying I was mis-quoted. Groucho Marx

       

      Rob

      stadjak


      Interval Junkie --Nobby

        As someone who is coming up on his first 1,000miles, I tip my hat to you sir.  Very very impressive!

        2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do

          Raga,

           

          I really enjoyed reading this post.........could see a little bit of my experience within your experiences.

           

          Congrats on a job well done (BUT STILL IN PROGRESS)...

           

          John

          Champions are made when no one is watching

          TeaOlive


          old woman w/hobby

            Congratulations!  Good Job!

            steph  

             

             

              That's an awesome milestone (and a great write-up of it, too).  Congrats!

              "When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem." 
              Emil Zatopek


              Half Fanatic #846

                I really enjoyed that - Very Nice!

                 

                Thanks!

                "I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk.         "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt".                  I ran half my last race on my left foot!                                  

                GKA


                GKA

                  What a wonderful way to mark this milestone.  I love that you don't consider marathons fun and yet continue to run them!

                  "Remember; no matter where you go, there you are."- B. Banzai
                  BeeRunB


                    10,000

                    Congratulations!

                    amazing what you can do, huh?

                    Keep going!

                    --JImmyCool

                    babs71


                      Congratulations!  Your writing is fantastic keep us update.

                      LedLincoln


                      not bad for mile 25

                        That's a great report, Rafa!  Do you mind if I share it , to help inspire my running club?


                        #artbydmcbride

                          Thank you!  ...and for my new signature line.  Smile

                           

                          Runners run

                            That's a great report, Rafa!  Do you mind if I share it , to help inspire my running club?

                             

                            Absolutely no problem, be my guest .. and if it helps to motivate somebody for this great thing ...I'll be VERY glad Smile

                            Targets 1) No injuries 2) Keep having fun 3) Some kind of PR

                              Thank you!  ...and for my new signature line.  Smile

                               I'm ... flattered!  Big grin

                              Targets 1) No injuries 2) Keep having fun 3) Some kind of PR


                              Maggie & Molly

                                thank you so much for an awesome recount of your experience.  congrats on hitting that milestone.   I hit 1,000 a bit back and it was an incredible feeling for me.  I can not even imagine 10,000.

                                 "It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop."
                                Wisdom of Confucius

                                HF 4363

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