tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70214648253311110142024-11-05T22:04:04.113-05:00Running blog of Wout Vandegaer [1'49/800m | 2'21/1000m | 3'45/1500m]Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-70431426498087610412015-05-05T11:56:00.001-04:002015-05-05T11:57:51.432-04:00

Maintaining a plant-based diet while training to lower personal bests on the track throws off most people. Most questions and concerns are deeply rooted in the beliefs and (the lack of) understanding that you (don't) need animal protein in order to stay healthy and improve fitness. Yes, I was once one of those athletes having a strong opinion about what vegans were thinking. "Seriously, they

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-60884134625170369062015-04-14T14:35:00.000-04:002015-04-14T14:36:10.406-04:00

This is the 7th week of working with Juli. Things are going well. Juli wanted to probe where I was in terms of basic fitness level.  Six weeks down the line, we understand that I`m fit. Obviously, there is a difference between being fit to train and fit to race. However, the weekly progression is clearly noticed and that is mainly due to her conservative approach when accepting new

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA41.0167639 -74.205701140.9209099 -74.3670626 41.112617900000004 -74.0443396tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-17089533847955693172015-03-19T11:27:00.001-04:002015-03-21T14:31:47.383-04:00

It`s been a year of picking up running and dropping out due to my lower back injury/work schedule. Fortunately, I finally got into a routine again. Since beginning of March, I train under Juli Benson. Juli Benson is the current US Air Force Academy head coach. She also did train Jenny Simpson leading up to her 1500m gold medal during the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-88238401234868030342014-05-30T17:55:00.002-04:002014-05-30T17:55:49.622-04:00

The last couple of months have been very rough. Since the car accident, there is absolutely no consistency in the training schedule. Even running at easy pace seems to cause back pain at some days. Yes, I`m still lucky. There is no real injury, nor serious health issue involved. It is a fact that my fitness level is – 12 weeks down the road – seriously affected. The fitness build-up since

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Colorado Springs, CO, USA38.8338816 -104.821363438.4383081 -105.4668104 39.229455099999996 -104.17591639999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-30826359724182034982014-04-21T11:23:00.004-04:002014-04-21T11:23:59.928-04:00

The last update on this blog did mention the upcoming opening race. However, just 2 weeks later I was involved in a car accident.  Ever since that car crash, the running has been on and off while deliberately listing to my body. Last week, I started to pick up running again after a 16 day break. The race season is postponed until further notice.  Will keep you posted, Wout

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-89486464532907010272014-02-21T23:49:00.000-05:002014-02-21T23:49:13.065-05:00

The last couple of weeks, a significant bump in the fitness level was achieved. Long runs go smoother and track workouts go better than anticipated. That results in two major observations: first of all I consider myself slowly becoming an athlete again. Directly tied to that, the urge to start planning a first set of race events became reality. Yes, I was still running.  Yes, I

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Colorado Springs, CO, USA38.8338816 -104.821363438.4383081 -105.4668104 39.229455099999996 -104.17591639999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-71691673606515659372014-01-07T11:35:00.002-05:002014-01-07T11:35:36.835-05:00

Happy New Year! While opening this blog, I noticed that the last post was end-of-February 2013. It is one of my New Year resolutions to keep this blog better maintained and more up-to-date. 2013 was a very busy year for both Nathalie and me. In 2013, we decided to stay in Colorado till at least the next Olympics of 2016. Nathalie has access to all required services and facilities to improve

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Colorado Springs, CO, USA38.8338816 -104.821363438.4383081 -105.4668104 39.229455099999996 -104.17591639999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-20138716364405315832013-02-27T13:06:00.001-05:002013-02-27T13:06:25.217-05:00

This week - just like 2 weeks back - it was possible to support the East coast project remotely. The body appreciated the more structured approach resulting in recharged energy levels. Two weeks back on Tuesday, a first workout with our new team member Craig Miller was executed. Craig is a promising professional athlete sponsored by New Balance. His outdoor 1500m PB of 3'36 and recent indoor

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Colorado Springs, CO, USA38.8338816 -104.821363438.4383106 -105.4668104 39.229452599999995 -104.17591639999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-21623033816855851612013-02-04T19:00:00.000-05:002013-02-04T19:00:53.137-05:00

Every single athlete that takes care of himself/herself understands the importance of recovery. Recovery has various aspects and it does not stop with that cool down after a workout. Let's try to put the various aspects of recovery - that I try to pay attention to - in order of importance while having time constraints. Hydrate!During a long run, I usually lose 4-5 pounds. Getting hydrated again

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1Wilmington, DE, USA39.7458333 -75.546666739.6481388 -75.7080282 39.843527800000004 -75.3853052tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-22010471464442559922013-02-03T18:36:00.002-05:002013-02-03T18:36:30.179-05:00

It has been a while since this blog was updated. There were various reasons. However, none of them were valid ones. With the super bowl starting right now, it is the perfect moment to spend some time on this activity ;-) On December 12th, I did one of my best workouts so far under the new training approach. A 12x400@66-68 with 1:00 of rest is a solid workout. Especially if you need to go

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Colorado Springs, CO, USA38.8338816 -104.821363438.4382971 -105.4668104 39.229466099999996 -104.17591639999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-5936484931687977532012-12-03T17:12:00.002-05:002012-12-06T11:51:26.047-05:00

It has been a crazy journey the last 16 weeks. We're 4 months down the (new) road and it feels great! Over those 4 months, Scott Simmons – lead coach of the American Distance Project - did a fantastic job. He tu(r)ned my thinking back into the positive attitude a competitive runner needs. That's probably mainly due to the small successes that occur more than once every week. The last 16

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com01001-1099 N King St, Wilmington, DE 19801, USA39.7458333 -75.546666739.6969978 -75.6256307 39.794668800000004 -75.4677027tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-33316435601287948182012-11-20T13:34:00.001-05:002012-11-20T13:34:18.288-05:00

This week, we`re getting the second phase of the ADP workout schedule started. Scott notices that the 1500m specificity can increase more quickly. As such the weekly training schedule will change quite a bit. We'll still maintain the weekly mileage. Recovery runs will still be a very important aspect of the total miles logged. And yes, we`ll still keep the Long Runs going (17 miles at this

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-67276278499292010002012-11-18T17:41:00.002-05:002012-11-18T17:41:59.451-05:00

It has been about one month since the latest post. Things are still going well here in Colorado Springs. With completing today`s 17 miler, the weekly training load ended. This week 83+ miles were put in successfully. It is absolutely not just about the mileage. However, the consistency helps me believe that my body adapts very well to the new training philosophy. Scott Simmons theory

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Colorado Springs, CO, USA38.8338816 -104.821363438.6359796 -105.13722039999999 39.0317836 -104.5055064tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-26660231074096972902012-10-14T19:18:00.001-04:002012-10-14T19:18:32.541-04:00

This short blog is completely aligned with the previous one. After staying 11 consecutive days at sea level, training week #8 was completed on Sunday. That week concludes my third training block where both the mileage (65 --> 70+ --> 78/79) as the intensity gradually progress. Before joining the American Distance Project, I was sceptical about high mileage for middle distance runners.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Wilmington, DE, USA39.7458333 -75.546666739.6969978 -75.6256307 39.794668800000004 -75.4677027tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-14688418204811296362012-09-24T16:16:00.001-04:002012-09-24T16:16:04.901-04:00

After 5 weeks, we can – luckily – state that we`re settled in Colorado Springs. Everything is falling into place and we are getting into our routines. Like Nathalie, I`m getting pretty much adapted to altitude. Even though I have to (re)adapt every single weekend. Both the mileage and the quality are progressing in the way we want to. The ability/capability a human body surprises me once

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Wilmington, DE, USA39.7458333 -75.546666739.6481903 -75.7045952 39.8434763 -75.3887382tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-32317306913025827812012-08-23T18:20:00.000-04:002012-09-24T15:15:27.447-04:00

Here we are, Colorado Springs, a reasonably small city with quite some nice historical brick buildings in the downtown area. The contrast with Charlotte, NC is noticeable. No skyscrapers in the city center, no emerging financial center in the US and the world, (almost) no businessmen in smoking hot suits. No, our first impression is that this city provides us relaxing atmosphere within the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Colorado Springs, CO, USA38.8338816 -104.821363438.6359796 -105.13722039999999 39.0317836 -104.5055064tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-68038738612204163792012-07-22T14:33:00.000-04:002012-07-22T14:33:05.286-04:00

The first and second week after my European race season, the intensity of my workouts is quite low. Right now, I`m purely running/training for fun. The mileage is currently around 40+ miles a week (65-70 km) and the majority is focusing on aerobic work. My motivation and drive will come back as soon as I have committed myself to train with a new group and successful coach. Next to that,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Charlotte, NC, USA35.2270869 -80.843126735.0195579 -81.1589837 35.434615900000004 -80.5272697tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-24511960963002691472012-07-15T17:55:00.002-04:002012-07-15T17:55:49.048-04:00

It has been a while since my last post on my blog. My apologies for the long delay. Since May 18 time just flew by. First I had to finish up my project located on the West coast of the US. On June 8, I had wrapped up my tasks and handed over my responsibilities. As such, I could prepare myself mentally for 4 awesome weeks in Europe: visiting friends and family and FEEL the European tracks

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-1866420973884392622012-05-18T12:29:00.000-04:002012-05-18T12:29:06.429-04:00

Last couple of weeks, I did not made any updates to this blog. Mainly due to a shift of priorities. My project in the Bay area resulted in two 5+ hour flights per week. Adding a 3 hour time zone difference and an interesting but challenging project content and scope resulted in 11+ hour working days on average. Hopefully, my regular Twitter messages did give you an idea what I was doing from a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0San Jose, CA, USA37.3393857 -121.894955537.1373982 -122.21081249999999 37.5413732 -121.5790985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-77788420811641383142012-04-04T13:01:00.000-04:002012-04-04T13:01:38.240-04:00

Yvonne Hak`s tweet this week was right on: "Lactic training = Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable". You can follow Yvonne on Twitter. Find her via @800HAK. My first lactic training since I ran the poor indoor mile race did not bring me the expected satisfying feeling. We planned to execute a 4x2x600m workout, but I was not able to run comfortable on my current uncomfortable

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Charlotte, NC, USA35.2270869 -80.843126735.0195579 -81.1589837 35.434615900000004 -80.5272697tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-65078237112540576932012-03-19T18:43:00.000-04:002012-03-20T15:35:29.717-04:00

Before we start the real prepping phase of the upcoming outdoor track season, a week of relative recovery was put in the training plan. Due to the fact of having new project, we were not sure how easy it would be to find both the time and a good location to execute heavy workouts. As such it wasn't a bad idea to recharge the batteries properly. As said earlier, the pace of my recovery

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0San Jose, CA, USA37.3393857 -121.894955537.1373982 -122.21081249999999 37.5413732 -121.5790985tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-12998679095702538992012-03-11T21:09:00.004-04:002012-03-11T21:10:34.491-04:00

First things first: my sincere congratulations for my Belgian friends and colleagues within our awesome Track and Field sport. Belgium had a mini delegation at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul (Turkey). With only 3 athletes, Belgium was able to claim 3 times a 5th place.  Tia Hellebaut - Olympic Champion high jump - did participate in her first international

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Charlotte, NC, USA35.2270869 -80.843126735.0195579 -81.1589837 35.434615900000004 -80.5272697tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-62567678877232659392012-03-07T11:40:00.002-05:002012-03-07T11:40:56.802-05:00

After my though days in week 08, my body recovered slowly over the weekend. However, the first days of my last week in Detroit the feeling was still not 100%. At these kind of moments, you should not panic as a runner. Trying to catch up on the ‘lost’ training days is one of the most stupid things to do. The trainers of the High Performance Running Team, deliberately repeat that message

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Charlotte, NC, USA35.2270869 -80.843126735.0195579 -81.1589837 35.434615900000004 -80.5272697tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-89643723810759273162012-02-27T14:00:00.004-05:002012-02-27T14:00:59.988-05:00

From a anaerobic capacity (=ANC) perspective, week 08 will not be remembered as the most efficient nor most contribution one. The 14K easy run workout on Monday evening (travel day), went awesome and the sober morning run on Tuesday went fine as well. However, after lunch on Tuesday I started feeling not so well. This progressed in a very bad feeling in my stomach towards the end of the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Southfield Fwy, Dearborn, MI 48126, USA42.321747236650516 -83.21542739868164142.310007736650519 -83.235168398681637 42.333486736650514 -83.195686398681644tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7021464825331111014.post-35164293857158172682012-02-15T08:38:00.003-05:002012-02-15T08:46:37.679-05:00

After Tuesday`s workout, the next rest cycle of my summer preparation started. With 4 anaerobic capacity trainings in 9 days, the previous training cycle ended quite intense. The body is reacting pretty good on this type of workout.  As already mentioned, the trainers of the High Performance Running Team already know this via the tests of our in-house scientist (Dr. Jan Olbrecht). On

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1300 Town Center Dr, Dearborn, MI 48126, USA42.320382807859637 -83.21776628494262742.318915307859641 -83.220233784942621 42.321850307859634 -83.215298784942632