Not the easiest way to end the season, but the one i needed…
100km Run Winschoten - the first 45km were fun, then it became a battle. Physically. But mostly mentally. Not as planned, not as expected.
Struggling to get from aid-station to aid-station. Trying to push the voices that talked about quitting away. One lap at a time. One kilometre at a time. One step at a time.
Breathe. Focus. Eat. Run. Walk. Run again.
After 100km crossed the finish-line, beating my best time by 3 minutes. Happy. Grateful for the experience.
Sometimes the finish-lines you have to fight the hardest for will stay with you the longest. This was definitely one of those.
Now time to recover…
@runwinschoten #happyultrarunner #runningmotivation #rwuambassadeurs #ultrarunning #100kmrun
10 years ago today i was on the start line of a little race that changed everything...
Never expected to be doing ultra-triathlons for 10 years, since it was supposed to be 'just this one'.
But... the DoubleBrutal had it all; the course, the people, the suffering, the sleep-deprivation, the happiness...
What a journey it has been... and still is...
Thank you SO MUCH to all involved in these adventures... (you all know who you are! supportcrews, race marshals, volunteers, fellow athletes and many more!). Lets keep doing crazy stuff!
#doublebrutal #ultratriathlon #extremetriathlon #throwback #10yearanniversary @iutasport @brutaleventsuk
about last week… when not finishing still creates a million happy memories…
at least i had fun on the 7.6km swim…
#bretzelultratriathlon #illbeback
#doubleironman #DNF #stillhadfunthough #pushedmyself
my first ultratriathlon DNF - did not finish…
the Double in Colmar (7.6km swim/360km bike/84km run) would be my first ‘big’ race after my ankle-injury…
But the french heat beat me: i was struggling on the bike from the start, and before 150km my body was done. Worked hard with amazing support from my brother @daan_van_meeuwen to find a solution - ice, wet towels, extra breaks… But after 300km of overheating the body was DONE… sometimes the hard decision is the smart decision…
i will be back though…
and finish or not: as always: met amazing people, caught up with old friends, cheered for all the others… the ultra-tri-family is amazing…
marathon/ultra no. 104...
3rd place at the #srichinmoy50k in amstelveen today. A hot day out, but I suffered in the best possible way. Had to work for it, but enjoyed (almost) the entire race.
First race post ankle-injury, so it was a good one! nice trainingday and confidencebooster for the Double Ultratriathlon in Colmar @bretzelultratri next month!
#50km #ultrarunning #rwutrechtambassadeurs @runnersworldutrecht
restday…
so an easy 36km social-run with some elevation sounds like a nice plan…
not sure if the coach approves… (but it was a good day, so let’s worry about consequences later!)
#happyrunner poweredby @runnersworldutrecht
finally; the (53km) comeback-run…
268 days post injury and I’m now ‘officially’ back to ‘normal’…
First ultra since I ruptured my ankle ligaments! It was shorter than I planned; the plan was to go for a double-marathon, but after running all morning in rain and hail I was freezing, so I decided to be smart and stop a bit early… But body and mind were amazing today, so I’ve achieved the main goal; go for a long run and see what happens…
Recovery has been a rollercoaster; from celebrating my first short walk on crutches, to my first unsupported walk, the ‘one minute-run-one-minute-walk sessions, but also the frustrations that come with setbacks and delays in the process… And then the return to running, but the long way back to long distances…
But I’ve learned a lot along the way, and enjoyed every small victory.
Today was a big milestone; now it’s time to recover, and start thinking if there’s room for a new adventure this season…
Thank you to all that have helped me get back on my feet (literally!), both physically, but also (and mainly) mentally and emotionally… It has been a serious ultra-adventure…
#ankleinjuryrecovery #rwuambassadeurs #recoveringultrarunner
this should have been the hardest decision of my sports-“career”… …but it turned out to be the easiest… (spoiler alert for the impatient reader: I’ve decided to cancel…
(apologies to my english-speaking (or ‘english-reading’) friends… This one is in Dutch, since it’s basically a repost of an article about my Deca-journey, written by Frank Heukels for…
Where normally the year is filled with all sorts of events, this year has been ‘eventless’, which is weird, since it was an eventful year… In October coach…
A while ago I stumbled upon the youtube channel of Australian adventurer Beau Miles, and used his videos to get me through some indoor-cycling sessions during the winter….
as was to be expected: the SwissUltra Deca 2020 is now officially cancelled… (or: postponed to 2021…) With everything going on in the world right now I knew…
There’s some epic training-sessions to come in the near-future (well, unless we go into lockdown next week…), and the last few months haven’t been filled with epic races…