Sam’s spitting image

Used to have a dog just like this. Sam was his name, scaring the shit out of cows his game. He was a kind but nervous lil’ bugger. And not the sharpest tool in the shed. Couldn’t stand being home alone nor sharing the spotlight with the kids.

Blazing a triathlon trail: Dan Martin

Some people think outside the box. TEDxBrussels promised to burn the box but forgot to light it. Dan Martin intends to swim, cycle and run the box around the world. Seriously.

At high tide on May 8th 2010 I’ll dive in to the Hudson River from Battery Park in New York. I’ll swim down stream past the Statue of Liberty and across the Atlantic to Brest in France. I’ll be swimming eight hours a day, no wetsuit, no shark cage. When I touch the boat at night we will GPS mark the spot I finish and start from there the next day.

From Brest I’ll cycle east through Europe and across Russia. Pedalling through Siberia in winter and then crossing the Bering Straits when they’re (partially) frozen from Uelen to Cape Wales. The Bering Strait will be by far the most dangerous and challenging part of the trip. I’ll essentially be manhauling me and a floating sled across 50miles of slush ice and strong currents mainly in the dark.

From Cape Wales in Alaska I’ll run to New York finishing with a New York Marathon in November 2011.

What could possibly go wrong?

Dan, I wish you the best and will try to support you any way I can.

Kasterlee is Old Dutch for ‘mudfest’

Right, my marathon debut. Got up at 6:45am, drank a cup of ambition and force-fed myself 16 slices of white toast with strawberry jam. A delightful way to start the day. A quick trip to physiotherapist Steven to get my hamstrings taped and then on the road to a very rainy Kasterlee.

Carboloaded and ready to run

‘Twas the night before my marathon debut, when all through the house, the energy gels lay stacked, waiting to be digested. At the break of dawn tomorrow, I will attempt to eat a loaf of white bread with strawberry jam, followed by water, energy gels and carbosnacks. Yum-my.

R.I.C.E. and hope for the best

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.

Give yourself the freedom, let’s bounce

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)

Belgians are of two physical types

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.

A boy amongst men: Alistair Brownlee

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.

Writing and marathon training are one

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.

Race report: 2009 Brasschaat ITU LD

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.