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| Meet the Ambassadors 2024
Nelle Houwen
Program: half marathon
"I have always loved running, but unfortunately I ditch it too easily when life gets in the way. It's high time I give running the attention it deserves and needs. I hope that training for the half marathon as a Sofico Ghent Marathon Ambassador will teach me how to prioritize running so that after the 24th of March it's here to stay."
| Training Updates
Follow Nelle's journey
February 23, 2024
From one February to the next
February 2024 - I run for two hours straight, cover a distance of 16 km without walking or taking a break, can even hold a whole conversation while running, and still have enough energy to go about the rest of my day.
Since the beginning of this training adventure, I have already run 340,9 km and 42 hours 22 minutes and 52 seconds. But training for a half marathon is so much more than just running. This amount of training forces you to eat well, drink well, and sleep well. If you don't take care of these fundamental elements of a healthy lifestyle, you are making it so much harder on yourself.
As the half marathon is coming closer, my life increasingly revolves around running, prepping to run and recovering after a run. Trainings are longer and are evidently asking more time. And since I have bought myself a heart rate monitor, they also require more energy. The heart rate reading from a chest monitor is much more accurate compared to a wrist watch, and it turns out I actually need to push myself harder and run faster than my wrist watch was telling me. Since January, I am also adding an hour of crossfit a week to the training mix (thanks to a little mental push from my boyfriend). It is not only incredibly fun to do, but it also improves my overall strength, flexibility and core stability. I never thought I would be the fitness freak I became, but I'm definitely enjoying myself while working out.
Other than that, I'm focusing on a healthy and nutritious diet. Although 'diet' in the strict sense of the word isn't really applicable here: I feel like my body needs twice the amount of food compared to 5 months ago. I'm also trying out different gels/gums/bars/drinks during, before and after my trainings, and from now until the Sofico Ghent Marathon, I'm swapping out my glass of wine or cocktail on Friday and Saturday evenings for an alcohol-free alternative.
Despite the challenges and sacrifices, I'm so ready to tackle that half marathon next month. I'm hoping to reach the finish line within a certain time, but knowing where I'm coming from, I am already so damn proud of myself.
January 5, 2024
Nothing but running
Now that 2024 has officially started and the Christmas celebrations are behind us, the Sofico Ghent Marathon is less than three months away. I couldn’t be more excited! And with that, one of my New Year’s resolutions is clear: keep on running. But by now it is already clear to me that running is here to stay, so that shouldn’t require too much extra effort. I am looking forward to my very first half marathon and already dreaming of tackling a full marathon after that.
Unfortunately, for the last month or so, running has pretty much been the only thing on my schedule. At the beginning of December, I found myself in the doctor’s office with quite a lot of stress symptoms. They had started a few months earlier, but clearly weren’t planning on leaving anytime soon. Not unless I did something about it… On doctor’s orders, I had to rest (my mind) for at least two weeks. I was strongly advised to only do the things that gave me energy and remove everything that didn’t. I basically cleared my whole calendar, except for the half marathon trainings.
While taking the necessary rest, I clearly felt the impact it had on both my mental and physical health. My trainings seemed to improve exponentially. My heart rate was going down, I started to have more energy, and I recovered a lot quicker after each training. Now, even bad weather is not ruining my runs and I can confirm that Runner’s High is a thing. I wouldn’t say “New Year, New Me”, but I will definitely do things differently this year.
November 17, 2023
The first step is the hardest
"The first step is always the hardest", people say. In my case, many first steps had been made in the past, and even second and third steps. I have been running for the majority of my life, but never properly got past the 5K point. Something always came up, making me lose the habit of running for a few months. "It's too warm" (popular in summer), "it's too dark" (popular in winter), "I'm tired" or "I'll do it tomorrow" (popular throughout the year)… I'm sure others can relate ;-) But the number 1 excuse I used over the last few years has to be "I don't have the time".
My friends and family know me as an ambitious and motivated person. I have a wide range of interests and I like trying new things. Because of that, I usually end up with quite a busy schedule. AKA: I want to do it all, preferably now and not later. Running is something I know, so it's usually one of the first things I sacrifice when I try to cram too much into my calendar. (Which is probably the one thing I SHOULD be doing when I'm so busy, I know…) But I do love it and want to do more of it. It helps me think, gives me more confidence and makes me sleep better. It's time to make it a priority and finally push my limits further than 5K.
How it started…
This summer, I did another start-to-run program (for the 28754th time), determined to keep going after that (also for the 28754th time). And then October came and kicked of my running journey with the professional guidance from Energy Lab… in the busiest month of the year. The first step is the hardest, right? ;-) I had taken two weeks off from work to do some small renovations in the house that we just bought. After those two weeks I was going to juggle my work and existing hobbies with the remaining work in our house, packing and moving. That was going to be a challenge… But luckily it was also temporary, and it actually pushed me to do it right from the beginning.
How it's going…
Now it's November, the busy moving days are behind us, and I have been training for a month now. 13 training session, roughly 60 kilometers, and more than 7 hours of running. My trainings are still neatly planned in my calendar, so I know exactly when I'm supposed to be running. I also started planning them during my lunch break to avoid running in the dark as much as possible. This took some time to adapt, but is now something I look forward to when working from home. (Also helps to avoid the afternoon slump, can definitely recommend!)
One of the biggest assets of our new house is the area: close to the towpath along the Schelde. While dreaming of our new house, we made the resolution to run, bike and walk along the river. The move here brought a change of scenery we can never get bored of, which means this resolution is fairly easy to keep. I'm already looking forward to many more hours of running along the Schelde.