Evaluation of 2014 & Plans for the Future

2014 was the year in which I ran a very small personal record on the 3000m, followed by an even smaller PB on the 1500m, and a great improvement on the 5000m - for the second year in a row. With the latter I am happy, but I think that my 3000m and 1500m times do not show the shape I had last season. I was fortunate enough to make it into Regionals, but at the race where I had to be in my best shape of the season I had one of my worst race experiences ever: DNF. If you do not finish the race you have been training for all season, this is quite a painful experience and it is still hard for me to look back at this race (This is also why I did not write about it). Obviously, just like a year before, something had gone wrong. At the end of the season is when you have to be at your best. But 'being in shape' is something so hard to grasp, and it is not easy to be at your best when it matters. Nevertheless, this was yet another season that I ended poorly, and it was clear that some reflection needed to be done.

With help from different coaches I tried to do better during the XC-season. And luckily, this was the first time where I ended my season on a high. It was a very fun season with great workouts and runs, and I was very happy with my performances. Now the goal is to repeat this for the seasons to come!

I thought I was going to end my 2014 season in great shape and ready to rock during the indoor season. I was on my way, working on my base after completing the XC-season, but also doing a lot of strength stuff (core, hurdles) and some great faster runs with the guys. Those runs challenged my body, because the guys run at a much faster pace then I usually run on 75-90 minutes runs. When you run loops you have never ran before and you know the guys are gonna pick up the pace, just not when and for how long, and then the guys in front of you are slowly but surely starting to pick it up and you go with them for as long as you can because you are too stubborn to hold back, you are getting very very strong. It made me realize how important variation is in training, and that it is good for the body & mind to get out of the comfort zone sometimes, and do something different.

But at the same time, I was having some hip/butt problems. Probably because I had not been injured for a long time, I did not listen to my body enough and thought that with some extra stretching and strength it would get better. But when you are running 80+ miles a week it doesn't work like that. Over break at home I decided to go to the physical therapist and he told me it was better to take some time off. At the same time, I also got an infection in my lungs,being tired and coughing all the time, so crosstraining did not happen either. Eitherway, the two weeks off were probably much needed because I did not really miss running (Which is very, very strange!) and was glad to hide in our (beautiful new) house and read books, cook a bit, have my family around me and see friends. My only activity was walking with the dog!

Although I ended 2014 with an injury, I am now slowly building back up. I want to be careful and make sure the injury is 100% gone, but I think it is going well. With the first indoor meet only three weeks away, I know I should not expect much. On Tuesday, when I am planning to do my first workout in exactly 3 weeks, we will see where my shape is at, but it might be very very gone. Yet this was not the worst time to get injured, and I still have seven weeks till the last indoor race, and that is the only race that matters to me.

After that I have a long, long time to get stronger and faster, because I likely will not race again till the end of the American season.The plan is to run the standard for the EC<23 (and hopefully much faster) at the Conference-race, to hop on the plane back to the Netherlands right afterwards, and then do a real European season, ending in Estonia with a good performance on the 5000m during the Europeans. Quite exciting!

Hope you all have a great 2015, fulfill your goals, and keep dreaming!