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| Meet the Ambassadors 2024
Naomi Claeys
Program: half marathon
"I'm here for that kick in the butt. Scared, excited and motivated to start my journey together with my fellow Ambassadors and happy I can finally do this with professional and personal follow up."
| Training updates
Follow Naomi's journey
February 9, 2024
Me, myself and I
That's right. I've come to realize that the only person I need to compare myself to is me. That’s not always easy, but comparing myself to seasoned runners with years of experience was a recipe for discouragement and just not fair to myself. I just started 6 months ago and look at where I am.
- From struggling to run for more than five minutes at a time, to recently completing two-hour runs without stopping.
- From never being able to get to 5k, because of injuries or just quitting, to running 3 times a week, with two 5k+ runs and one 10k+ run. My longest distance so far: 14km!
- My Garmin (for what it’s worth!) tells me my sleep scores have improved. Still not the best sleep, but it was dramatic to start with.
- My weight is gradually decreasing (-3kg so far)
- My water intake has gone from barely drinking 2 glasses a day to a minimum of 2L without effort (my water bottle really helps me here!)
.png?width=1800&height=600&name=Zonder%20titel%20(1800%20x%20600%20px).png "Zonder titel (1800 x 600 px)")
Don't get me wrong, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. It still can be frustrating, running with a heart rate that is too high, or seeing others going so much faster. I’m constantly battling self-doubt, but I need to and want to focus on the positive things: my story and my progress.
And my story is one of trusting the process and needing to have patience. I was struggling with how slow my progress seemed to go. The turning point for me was reaching the 10k milestone. It took me 3 months of dedicated training, but when I hit that 10k mark, everything seemed to fall into place. Not only the measures (see above), but also and especially mentally. I never ever thought myself capable of running 10k, and when I did, I realized that if I can get to this point, there's nothing I can't do (with the proper training and mindset of course. Still not going for a full marathon ever 😜).
My next steps:
- Trying out different energy bars and gels during the runs
- Gradually increasing my training duration to 2,5 hours to be ready for my half marathon. I'm looking at a finish time above 3 hours, which will take dedication and mental strength.
- I'm looking for headphones (like Shokz) to listen to music or podcasts to distract myself. Now it's just me and my thoughts, which works sometimes, until I start obsessing over my watch, counting down the minutes and kilometers.
- I still think runner's high is a myth! But who knows. Maybe I'll get convinced otherwise?
See you for my next update!
December 18, 2023
Patience and milestones
Hi everyone, it's Naomi! Time for an honest talk about my experience.
When I started this program, I never expected it to be a walk in the park. However, it's become more like a slow jog through a muddy field. I thought I'd be hitting milestones faster, and it's frustrating when progress is slower than expected. The hardest part for me? I'm still way above my heart rate zone even though I keep a very low pace.
It's okay to be frustrated. It's okay to wish for faster progress. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is endurance. It's a journey to become the best version of myself, and every challenge is a building block.
I'm learning to celebrate my victories, big and small! Have a look at my video to see the milestones that I did reach already!
There's a reason I signed up for the program. I know where I am coming from and why this journey is so difficult. I'm on my way to a healthier lifestyle. Even though my heart rate is still too high and my pace is still very slow, I am doing it. Progress is progress, no matter how slow. This is my journey and each step is a step towards my victory.
I've got this!
November 3, 2023