TwitRun in the dunes

I always ask myself why do I love running so much? Is it only because of the feeling you get once you finished a run? The answer is No... not only that.... It is true that running by yourself after a hectic day at work brings peace to your inner soul....That quality time with yourself is just so powerful, you are the boss of yourself, you choose to go slow or go fast, to push yourself above your limits...This is YOU time....

Running is also a social event, where you get to know people talk about the same interest with lots of passion while being out there in the nature and that is also part of why I love running!
Around Christmas I joined for the first time a TwitRun organised by Martin (@MartinVNoort) in the dunes of Heemskerk. I enjoyed so much running out there in the nature and on the side of the beach, I was already eager to join again. Few messages on twitter and the date was set for February 24th.

Since I am not the only person who love running in the dunes, more people wanted to join but everyone had a goal or certain kms to reach. Martin thought of dividing the long run in 3 groups:
- Group 1 starting at 9 am who will run a 10 km
- Group 2 will join group1 at 10 am for a 7 km
- Group 3 will join both groups for a 14 km run
This puts group2 at about 21 kms and group1 at a total of 31 kms and this is the group that I was part of along with Christine (@ChristineTanguy) my running friend that I met while training for my first Marathon during the Phanos training session in Amsterdam and she is currently preparing for "Marathon de Paris", Ron(@RonDaalHuizen) and Martin both are in training for Rotterdam Marathon.


After I picked up Christine, we arrived at Martin's house just on time. We left all 4 of us towards the dunes, after couple of kms we were already in the country side, no one was out there beside few bikers now and then. It felt as if we were in the middle of nowhere, no sounds beside our whispers and the sound of our feet pounding the ground. A cold breeze and some wind which faded out when we were running between the trees. It is so peaceful that you can get lost in the nature. Few hills up and few hills down, the uneven road makes it harder than running on asphalt but it can only make you stronger. I definitely felt my legs and my knee while running but the nice company and the view made me forget my current state. Out of nowhere I saw a nice restaurant and made me think that in the summer would be great to run again here in the dunes of Heemskerk and then have lunch with our families afterward. I think PeuterD would love to run around and Martin said the food is yummy! :)

Switching between Dutch, French and English, the first hour went by so fast and then we arrived to the parking lot where group 2 (@runningMarcel, @bleeker, @RobHoogeboom and Edwin) was waiting for us to join for a 20 km run. So thoughtful of them they provided us with bananas and water. A small break and we hit the road again for a 45 min run before group 3 (@Nielsky, @langzaamaan and Bianca) joined us. Some chocolate and sport drinks were also provided.... what a team spirit :) !! Thank you it was well needed!!

Few minutes break and before we get too cold we headed to the heart of the dunes for the last 14 km. Few words here and there and time flew by again. I always enjoy running the last few kms in a faster pace... few speedy kms with Christine, then with Rob and Niels and then the last km with Martin. Martin just like last time impressed me in how fast he can run!! Chapeau!

TwitRunners

We arrived to our final destination with a BIG smile on everyone's faces. Some of us ran a personal kms, some ran pain free, some reached their weekly mileage and some ran a marathon in one weekend ;)

To end this beautiful Twitrun in a special way, Martin and his wife Lia were kind enough to invite us for a treat and coffee. Thank you for the hospitality! Wendy(@WendySolar1971) who is suffering from an injury also joined us for the yummy treats and nice motivational talk. I dropped Christine at her house and headed home to enjoy a nice afternoon with my boys!

How could my Sunday have been better than that ?