My First 1/2 marathon

This sunday I run my first 1/2 Marathon in amsterdam. I couldn't train as much as i would have wanted too because i had an ankle injury.
I set my Nike + to 90 min... My friends were a little gossiping that I wouldn't be able to run that fast. The race started and i picked a nice pace and stayed on that pace.The whole way was great beside that I felt a little pissed about the slow people running on the left so i had to run right and left. The last 2 kilometers i felt very energetic to run faster but i started having pain in my stomach...that feeling was terrible... i felt my belly was going to explode...the finish was on the Olympic stadium instead of running fast my pain was slowing me down...i was praying to finish without any accident (you know what i am talking about). that is the picture of the stadium.

My nike + was saying 1 min to go and here I saw the finish line.... So I was sooooooo Happy to stop the ipod before it says your reach your goal of 90 min.

This is my result

Startnummer	23661
Naam	N. L
Woonplaats	Utrecht
8,9 km	39:36
13,9 km	1:01:50 (22:14)
18,9 km	1:24:19 (22:29)
Netto tijd	1:34:43
Bruto tijd	1:39:14
Snelheid	13,365 km/uur
Afstand	Mizuno Halve marathon
Plaats	39 / Vrecr

I am so Happy to finish my first 1/2 marathon in 1 h 34 min.

My First half Marathon

I am 2 days away from my first half marathon. the last few weeks i had a terrible ankle pain.
This week I started running again... i still have pain but i will run this sunday.
I am so excited, i didn't really train for it seriously i just run 4 times a week long distances, I hope i will do well.

I always like to set a goal time and my goal is below 1h 40 min. I did the 10 mile in 1h 7 so i believe if i can keep my Pace the same i can do it in 1 h 40 or below.

I will Update everything about the race on Sunday!

Wish Me luck!!!

Achilles tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis is also very common among high mileage runners. Since i wasn't a runner until recently, I didn't take the good precautions I need to prevent injuries.
One of my main goal was to run most km in 1 week. the fact i never stretched after running  lead to developing heel pain.

Now that it is a little too late i learned that stretching is one of the most important activities and should be done before and after exercising. Stretching improperly can often be the cause of serious pain in the heel. However, not stretching at all is sometimes the worst mistake that could be made before a long run. Without stretching, the plantar fascia and Achilles tendon become too tight, resulting in increased stress while running and leading to a greater risk of injury. Tears and even rupturing the ligament can become an issue when you don’t take the time to stretch.

Now it had been a full week i am not able to run. I tried to run an 8 km last night, with a lot of pain i made it back home.
I am not sure what to do i just hope the pain goes away.

10 Mile Race

September 19th i run a 10 mile race in Amsterdam called the Dam tot Damloop. It was an amazing race because it was at night. Running at night with a great music and a great atmosphere makes me want to run faster.

Before i start running i set a goal of 1h 10 min or Less... The course was amazing, Nike did a great job with all the set up. I felt very good, a steady Pace of 13.5 km/h. Usually at the last few km i can just move my pace to 14 but this time i was stuck at that pace. i did every 5 km in 22 min and i end up finishing with 1h 11.

I am a little disappointed, because i really wanted to go below 1h 10 and i know i can.  This was my first race since the spring so i shouldn't be too hard on myself. On october 18th i am running my first 1/2 marathon and i am super excited about it.

Usually I dont set time for a new Distance but i would love to do my first 1/2 marathon arounf the 1h 30.
23 days to go and i am getting super excited about it.

My love for running has increased big time. After work even when i am tired going out and running is the best feeling of the day. I am runner and i will keep running.

Carbohydrate Cravings

         I grew up in an athletic environment. My parents met each others when my mom fell while skiing and my dad came to help her. From that moment, they knew they were made for each other and never let go. Every weekend my parents took my sister and I skiing and in the summer time they signed us up to Tennis camps or sent us to ski im TIgnes on the  glacier.

I never had to worry about my weight or what I ate. I used to eat Pasta, bread, croissant all the time. It all changed when I moved to USA to go to the University. Diet commercials everywhere, all my friends at school were talking about loosing weight and not eating carbs etc…

I lived in the USA for 6 years and now I am back to Europe. As long as I remember since then every time I eat pasta or bread I have to work it off and feel GUILTY.  I haven’t being able to enjoy it. I feel it is like poison and bad for my health. I miss the old time when I was just a little girl  

As a runner, I need my carbs since I don’t eat it that often I crave it all the time!!! Sometimes I dream about food and eating in my dreams….

I really think I should start to include carbs in my life without being all paranoid. Carbs is the fuel of a runner. I Need it….Don’t I??? Bu why am I all worried when I think of Carbs I think of FAT

In this Blog I set a new goal:

--Introducing carbs slowly in my diet without feeling all the guilt ( I Hope)

Is running good when trying to get pregnant?

Here i am one week away from my next running event. I feel sore all over my body because this week i pushed myself. The feeling was great but i noticed more km I run more I feel some sort of pain somewhere.This week i will take it easy in order to be ready for my next race.

My husband and I decided it is about time to have a baby. It is very exciting but at the same time i am getting stressed. How my body is going to change? Will i be able to keep running? Somehow the fact i am running a lot and i have signed up to few running event in the next few months is making me worried. Will I ever be pregnant while running at high intensity? should I slow down?

I know i am not the first and only person who want to get pregnant without changing much in her lifestyle. I really hope i will get pregnant soon and I really hope i can keep running until the day i am due.

My Sunday Run

Well I have decided to do long runs on the weekend. Since i started running i thought i am a good runner. I thought by running a 10 km in 41 min and a 5 km in 19 min would make me a hero.

I WAS WRONG

I signed up for the 10 miles race which is in 2 weeks and 1/2 marathon race in October. I decided to increase my distances, usually i would run anywhere between a 5 km to 12 km MAX.

On Sunday i decided to go far, i woke up a little hangover from the previous night, *Bad News* but felt like running. Shoes on Ipod beating the best beats and off the road... after 15 km i felt the pain in my leg muscles, i didnt want to give up ... I kept running until i was mentally ready for cup of coffee and starting my sunday.

I felt so good running that far, great feeling but today i feel sore. Almost like a handicap person without any energy and who is starving all the timel.
I just had lunch and usually i just eat a tuna salad a cup of soup, i couldnt resist the cheese sandwiches...and Still hungryyyyyyyy.

I wonder if i should run tonight, i just feel the pain all over with a great feeling of satisfaction.

GOAL: Next weekend 21 km

What to buy a gift to my Husband

Most of the time i have been writing about running and food. Well this time i am just so confused what to buy to my husband on his Birthday. We have been married for 13 months now. Since our marriage it seems every occasion the gift gets bigger.
Starting with his B-day then Xmas then my birthday then wedding anniversary and now His B-day again.
We are type of people if we like something we buy it, so here my hubby's Birthday in 2 weeks and i have no idea what to buy!!!
He has absolutely everything and almost once a week we go eat out so going out wouldn't be any special neither....

I thought by writing this maybe i can think of something that is not expensive but has a lot of values. Like what?????

American Omelet

My favorite breakfast is an omelet with white egg some spinach and mushrooms. When I used to live in the states i Loved going to IHOP because they had the grain and nuts pancakes which were my favorite.

Last week I was in the US and here we stop at IHOP for breakfast I ask for the famous omelet Spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. I didn't feel being picky about the eggs so i wanted them natural including the yellow.... I got something like that
.

The Omelet itself is very healthy but i was shocked to see that heavy Hollandaise sauce on top. Recently when you order something they give a chart of calories and that supposingly healthy omelet was 700 calories!!!!!

I start scraping all the dressing...I was trying to be healthy but it turned out my omelet has more calories then my husband chocolate chip pancake...

Interesting!!!!

How I became a runner?

I started running exactly a year ago, when my company sent an email for all the employees if anyone is interested in running a 10 km. I signed up for it and used it as a motivation to stay in shape .
I always loved working out, I used to run cross country when I was 14, i love to play tennis and skied all my life. I even skied at a college level in the states. A lot of times i hit the gym to do some elliptical and weight training. I moved to the Netherlands after I got married last year to live with my hubby. OF course no snow here and I didn't have friends yet to find a partner to play tennis and my hubby at that time was traveling a lot.

So I didn't officially train for this 10 km it was more like for fun.
The 10 km race was over and I felt so good about my body about how much I pushed myself, pushing yourself to the edge was the most amazing feeling.
I had no interest in my time yet since i think i ended up 1000 out of 6000....Next day my company sends an email announcing the best runner out of all the employees who participated. To my big surprise it was me with the time of 47 min
I got so excited to get all the attention and decided that i will always run no matter what. I discovered my new relationship with running and decided to sign up for more races. So since september 2008 i signed up for three 10 km races and 1 race of 10 miles (16.1 km)

Since that day I started running and somehow I start hating the gym. I just started to love being outside and running, me, myself, my Music and I.
After 2 months of running almost daily, I run my second 10 km. I gave it all and I finished with a time of 43:40. I was so excited and i refused to do anything less than 43 min in my next race. Sure enough My time dropped to 42 min 28 sec.

The Last race of 10 km was my favorite.The weather was cold but not too cold, It was Adidas ladies run about couple hundred of ladies not more and i really wanted to drop my time.
So The race started and i was the 3rd girl!!!! So i kept pushing it and pushing it ....The downside of this race it was 2 loops of 5 km .......I absolutely hate loops. As soon as i hit the 5 km I looked on the board I saw my time of 19 min, I knew if I keep running with this pace I will be able to run 41 min or maybe 40 min

As soon as I started the second loop something strange happened and never knew about it. I didn't know in 10 km this could happen!!!I am very embarased to say it but I am not sure out of nowhere my urine fell down...GROSS.I was so scared I didn't know what was happening.

I was so insecure... i was wearing a light blue shorts and I kept thinking that people could see a big spot on my ass...OH BOY...Worst feeling ever i was looking torward the finish line just to disappear and cry.... 2 girls passed me and just before the Finish line I end up passing the girl in front of me....
My time was 41:15 and that was on june 2009. I am so proud of myself to reach my goal. Now I have a feeling my next 10 km it would be as easy to drop my time as I did previously. It is going to be a challenge. I might run 16.1 km and 1/2 marathon before i think of another 10 km.

That is me in white and blue few meters before the finish line

One of the races I did to support Kids with cancer. It was 16.1 km (10 miles) race and i scored a time of 1h 05 and finished second. It was amazing because i won a nice prize from Nike.

The Zoom running shoes + outfit + bag. Great no?

This is me on the podium :)

I feel that in 1 year I accomplished a lot. Recently I signed up for a 10 mile and a 1/2 marathon. I love running and I will keep being competitve.
My goal for the 10 mile is below 1h05 and I didnt set a time for the 1/2 marathon since i never run these distances yet. Maybe 1h 30 min????

Healthy lifestyle

I am so tired of living an unbalanced lifestyle. I love running, and i want to look
like a real hardcore runner. I go through periods. Some are super healthy and i dont
much and eat sugar and some other period are just terrible.
Now i am through that bad period where i finish my meal and i look for sweets.

So i decided to write this today to set a goal for the next few weeks. I want to eat healthy and be healthy. I am 5'6 130 lbs i really believe as a runner my weight should be around the 120.

Another goal is loose the 10 lbs before xmas. I love Mondays in terms of goals because i love
to start a fresh week with fresh goals.
This week i will only eat vegetables and protein.

My Running Shoes

All my life I was addicted to Nike. I used Nike for everything it is absolutely my favorite brand.
I loved Nike Town when i was living in the states... Entering the 4 story Nike shop was like a fairytale ...

When I moved to Europe everyone was talking about Asics. I went to Inter-Sports and here they have the machine that analyze all type of feet...The machine according to my feet picked
the Asics that I need to use.

Two days after i bought this shoes I got addicted to Nike+ and I was very disappointed that i couldnt add the ship in the sole just like in Nike. I started to run with these Asics and i was having all kind of blisters and pain... I regretted buying these running shoes....

After few weeks running on them i got used to them and i had to run a 10 mile race on them.
I finished 2nd and I won Nike Zoom.... I was so excited but the problem i started to love my Asics.

Now I am still running on my asics.....I truly love them, they are soft and light.
I recommend it to anyone....

xoxo

My Love/ Hate Relationship with Running

When I’m doing it, I love it; I feel energized and healthy. But over the last couple weeks, I have completely lacked motivation to think of running. I had a little muscle injury and somehow i keep using the same excuse in order not to run

Normally it’s because I’m tired from work, even though, ironically, running makes me feel more alert and awake and good about myself.

My plan was to start training again yesterday … but, alas, it’s pissing down with rain out there. So it was another good excuse to stay home.

So, instead, I stayed home and no doubt unduleged myself with nice treats... as if i deserved it...

I have registered for the following races but i will be running the 10 km:

Dam tot Damloop, Amsterdam (September)

Amsterdam Marathon (October)

I am hoping tonight after work i will be motivated enough to start running again....

Soya Milk

I Love the taste of Alpro Soya milk. It is a bit thicker than semi skimmed Mild. It is slightly darker than milk, it has a cream colored tinge to it due to the color of the soya beans. It is lovely in coffee. It makes the coffee quite frothy and almost creamy which I love.

Recently I discovered the Soya desert by Alpro, it is so tasty it has only 2,8 g of Fat and 110 cal. A nice treat to have without all the guilt.

Soy has a lot of benefits. THE range of milk and yogurt alternatives and their tasty desserts are naturally low in saturated fat. Saturated fat is the “bad” fat that we need to eat less of, as eating too much may raise the bad cholesterol levels in the blood and may also contribute to weight gain.

“Bad fats” should not be confused with “good fats”, such as omega 3 and 6, which may help to keep your heart healthy. Soya naturally contains these two “good fats”.

I really recommend Soy Milk or Soy desert to everyone...it tastes really gooooood.

Ideal Weight For Runners

I was reading an article online about ideal weight and performance for runners and i got triggered by this part

"No man six feet tall and weighing 176lbs (79.8kg) will ever win the London Marathon, and it is unlikely that a woman five feet six inches in height and weighing 130lbs (58.9kg) will ever do so either. Why? To answer this we must consult Dr Stillman's height/weight ratio table. He fixes the non-active man's average weight for height with a simple formula. He allocates 110lbs (56.2kg) for the first five feet (1.524m) in height and 5 1/2lbs (2.296kg) for every inch (0.025m) thereafter. He is harsher with women, giving them 100lbs (45.3kg) for the first five feet and 5lbs (2.268kg) for every inch above this"

Basically I am between 5'5 and 5'6 so for my first 5 feet i should be 45.3 kg + ( 5 inches * 2.268 kg/inch) = 56.64kg so about 125 lbs.... The sad news is i am about 130 lbs, i could be more sometimes....
Definitely I have to loose 5 lbs......How? When? Where? No Idea....

The Best thing is to go step by step. Starting tomorrow I am going to avoid, carbs and sugar.Honestly i feel like huge now...

Goals for this week: Running and eating light

Love for running

When I was a little girl, I was in the track & Field team. I used to love to run cross country. As I grew up i stopped running and focused on skiing. I ski raced at a college level in the States.
Just a little over a year I moved to a country where there is no snow.

I still remember one day going for a run. At first I didn't feel anything but after a while making my way through the canals something strange happened.

I started to enjoy it.

Since I decided that running is something I love to do. I signed up for few 10 km races. in 2009 i run few 10 km I improved my time from 47 min to 42 min. I run as well a 10 miles race that i finished in 1h 04 min.

Running, run through my veins. I am totally Hooked. My goal to run a 1/2 marathon within the upcoming year and run a 10 km less than 40 min.