Managed to injure myself during an LSD run Monday afternoon, 11 days before my scheduled marathon debut. It’s my first endurance sports related injury since I picked up triathlon four years ago. Today’s sonogram confirmed my worst fears: I have a small (0.8mm) tear in my right-leg hamstring muscles (biceps femoris). I’m on a strict R.I.C.E. diet this week and hope to be able start (and finish) the race on November 15.
For some sports you need a ball. For triathlon you need two. Writing a PhD however, requires a third. While said to be benign, the growth is known to induce severe moodswings, bouts of paranoia and insomnia. Other side effects are self-indulgence, weight loss and Sehnsucht.
One way I try to escape from it all is by running. Long distance running. Ran a 20k trail race yesterday with long time buddy Danny and was able to run consistently and comfortably at my (ideal) marathon pace of 12km/h. All along, I ran to Vaughn Mason & Crew’s timeless bassline.
Vaughn Mason & Crew – Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll (Brunswick, 1980)
Having tossed me this personal-narrative bone, van Lierde strips down to his swimsuit. The Belgians, it has been said, are of two distinct physical types: the ample, rosy burghers famously depicted by Rubens, and the wraithlike subjects of van Gogh. Stomping around in rubber boots, complacently hosing down the pool deck, Damien van Houck appears pure Rubens. Lean and rope-muscled, his hair a severe black skullcap, van Lierde seems van Gogh to the core.
John Brant profiles Luc Van Lierde in Outside Magazine, November 1997.
I have just witnessed the coming of age of Alistair Brownlee at the London ITU Olympic distance triathlon. He won the race in a blistering 1:41:50, his fourth consecutive ITU win. Phenomenal. How he manages to squeeze out that kind of power from his 11-year-old physique is beyond me. 
After my long distance debut in Brasschaat, I took a month off from training to regenerate, work on my PhD, organize a press conference, travel to lovely Melbourne to network and conference with linguists and journalists, organize a race and watch my children grow up. I resumed training on August 1, the same day I became a writer-in-residence on the shores of Lake Donk.
To shake off the rust, I’ve been swimming in the lake under the watchful eye of the fishermen, cycling and running. I’ll be doing much more long distance running as I prepare for my marathon debut on November 15 in Kasterlee. A 14-week diet of LSD runs, track sessions, interval sessions and regeneration runs should prepare me to run 42 kilometers and 195 meters. Thank you, coach Kurt.
As I once again face PhD deadlines, there is nothing that helps me to organize my thoughts better than trail running. Pictured above is the Google Earth map of today’s run, an 11K LSD run around Lake Donk. Lovely. Whenever I’m struggling with how to mix data analyses, field observations, theory and oomph into an elegant and coherent chapter in my PhD, all I need to do is put on my running shoes. Run, PhD student, run.
I made my long distance debut this weekend at the 2009 Brasschaat ITU LD event. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so ecstatic, exhausted and, above all, sore. Here are a few things I’ve learned:
* Overall: triathlon is the single most rewarding sport in the world: 3 basic discplines, 1 huge adrenaline rush, more than 8000 calories burned, 4 cramps suffered, 1 clenched fist when crossing the finish line. A priceless experience.
* Rookie mistake made during the bike leg: not enough food intake. Capital error. During the first run loop, I couldn’t remember my own name. Next time, I’m packing food like this athlete:
* Random observations: energy gels taste like feet but they do help. So does good ol’ Coca Cola. My favorite brand of race nutrition = Squeezy energy fruit gums. Eating bananas on the bike at full speed is not a pretty sight. Memo to self: never race in white Skinfit tri pants.
* The women’s overall winner, Sofie Goos, gave me a serious cold by literally flying by me during the run. Impressive race, Sofie.
* Pictured below is Koen Hoeyberghs seconds after crossing the finishing line. At age 43, Koen is triathlon nobility in Belgium. He placed 5th overall. In the picture he looks like he went for a stroll. I bow humbly.
* By way of comparison, this is how I looked during the run. Notice any difference?
* For the record, here are my splits:
swim: 2700m in 0:42:27 (91st AG, 170th overall)
bike: 80km in 2:08:32 (73rd AG, 128th overall)
run: 20km in 1:48:10 (144th AG, 282nd overall)
Total: 4:41:51 (114th AG (192 finishers), 197th overall (417 finishers))
Complete results available here (.pdf)
* Conclusion: this was the best athletic experience I have ever had. Perfect setting and race organization, great value for money, lovely weather and atmosphere. Well-refereed too. I’d do this again in heartbeat.
* Thank you: Wendy & Jerre, Luc & Annick, Jim De Sitter, Marc Pollet, the race organizers and the countless aid station volunteers. I never meant to dose you.
I’m looking forward to my first long distance triathlon: a 2700m swim, 80k bike and 20k foot race in Brasschaat. This race is a Flemish classic but will disappear from the race calendar as the organizers have chosen to go to the Olympic distance format from 2010 onwards.
I believe it was Noam Chomsky who once said: “it’s better to be right than consistent”. And so I’ve decided to submit my PhD after the summer – it needs more work and time. The good news is that I can now rediscover some of life’s other joys, such as triathlon. Since I can no longer get a refund for my Brugge and Brasschaat registrations, I’ve decided to start in those two races.
Did a 1h45 LSD run to see where I stand conditioning wise. The goal was to run a consistent, comfortable 5:45/km pace. Mission accomplished. Knowledge gained: it’s going to be a slow, painful death in Brasschaat. I reckon my current fitness level should enable me to lay it down in Brugge (race goal: 2:15:00) and finish in Brasschaat (race goal: run across the finish line with my children).
May has been and June promises to be an irregular training month for me. I may start in the Olympic distance race in Bruges, but racing the half distance in Brasschaat with little to no training seems pointless. And so, with one eye on my PhD and the other my race calendar, I came across an unusual race.
In an interview with Slowtwitch, ITU WCS Madrid winner Alistair Brownlee mentioned the Helvellyn Triathlon. This race is set in scenic Cumbria, on Sunday September 6th 2009 and the course offers a challenging
1 mile swim in Ullswater – England’s most beautiful lake
38 miles cycle – including the Kirkstone Pass (pictured)
9 miles run up Helvellyn – 3118 feet (England’s 3rd highest peak)
I am new to fell running and don’t quite know what to make of this rule (a whistle?):
The weather on the fells even in mid summer can be poor and the tops could well be in cloud. You will not be allowed out of the bike/run transition without full body cover weather proof clothing, map of the route, compass, whistle and suitable footwear for a fell run. Some form of back-pack will be required.
Back home from 6 days of triathlon training in the Mallorcan sun. Start the day with a light workout, have breakfast, cycle, unwind, watch my children grow up, swim, eat, try out some new wines (Siglo Saco 2005) and repeat. I could get used to this. But it’s back to business for me.
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