529IronMan

My First Triathlon - My First Race Report

Saturday the 21th of August will go down as the day on which I did my first Tri. A Olympic Distance Triathlon - 1,5km swim, 40km bike ride, 10km run - to be exactly. The last months I had a decent preparation trying to build speed, strength and endurance. This time I wasn’t bothered by the [...]

Continue reading...

6 Tips on Dealing with Setbacks While Chasing Dreams

What was supposed to be my first triathlon last week didn't happen because of a nasty ear infection. It sucked big time and really was a big dent is my motivation. It's been 10 days but and luckily I have the opportunity to comeback with a vengeance on Saturday when I'll enter my first Oly. Feeling good, stoked and curious about the event, the experience and my performance. I reflected on this unexpected setback (me not being able to participate in my first triathlon) and drew some lessons which I want to share with you guys.

Continue reading...

8 reasons to stop drinking coffee

Once upon a time I was a fairly heavy coffee user drinking 8 to 10 cup of joe's a day. It wasn't the good stuff either, it was low quality / even worse taste coffee made from real coffee powder. Yeah! Then one day I decided to quit. Cold turkey. I suffered 3 days of headaches before giving in and getting a shot (which relieved me from my headaches). This was the moment I realized that drinking large amounts of coffee each day probably wasn't the best thing to do. From that day, 1,5 year ago, I've started lessen my coffee consumption. Recently I, once again, drastically cut down on my coffee. Two weeks went by without drinking a cup and... it felt really good. I was way more relaxed and could focus more easily. I had more real, raw energy, energy not coming from a coffee-buzz or high. Looking for motivation to cut down on coffee? Look no further, hereby the 8 reasons to stop drinking coffee.

Continue reading...

IronTraining - Reflection week 16, Schedule week 17

As Mike Tiojanco from Pursuit of Change said it all recently in a guest post by him on the Art of Great Things: 'Practice - and only practice - makes perfect'. He goes on by saying 'Only one thing will make you a great runner: running'. I have defined my goal as competing in and completing the IronMan. There is an important part here in the equation and that is training. To track my progress and give insight in my training habits (and to be accountable when I'm slacking!) I will take the time at the end, or beginning, of every week to take a look at my training schedule for the upcoming week. I will also reflect on the past week and give oversight and feedback on the progress. Take a look at the activities of past week (week 16) and the upcoming week (week 17).

Continue reading...

Declaration of 529IronMan

I live a good life. As a matter of fact, I live a pretty damn good life. Why on earth should I volunteer and train for a year for an intense and grueling IronMan? And then still don't know if I'll finish. But I'm committed. and I'm looking forward to it. I love a challenge and competing (although I should note that the thing I love most is winning but I think we can all agree that I won't be winning an IronMan in this lifetime). I want to take on this challenge to learn more about myself. To explore my boundaries. I want to experience what I takes to embrace a complete different lifestyle. What sacrifices do you have to make? What experience will you gain and what lessons you will learn? I don't just want to live, I want to live life to the fullest and make the most out of it.

Continue reading...