In this blog, two athletes’ I coached for the NN Marathon Rotterdam 2024 – Rens and Nienke – will give you an inside look at their preparation process, sharing the highs of progress and the challenges they faced along the way. As their coach, I've had the privilege of seeing them through their journey – from the first training sessions to the final strides towards the finish line. Get ready to be inspired by their determination, resilience, and the sheer joy of crossing the Rotterdam marathon's iconic finish line.
Rens
In September, I decided to sign up for the Rotterdam marathon this year. Having already decided on a time goal of sub-3:20, I started training. I'd just started triathlon, and I quickly realised that combining three sports requires more planning and knowledge than just running. So, in November, I asked Felix if he wanted to be my coach. He was happy to do so! From then on, we made a schedule with the main goal being the marathon. I have a lot of trouble with aches, pains and injuries while running, so he made sure, I didn’t overdo it with running volume and gradually built up. In the last few weeks, we focused more on intensity and making sure I was comfortable at the pace I wanted to run.
Although I had some minor injuries and had to stop running for a while, I felt prepared for the marathon. I had practised my pace and eating, which I hadn't done much of last year. Anyway, the race itself felt pretty good. I could easily hold my pace; the gels went down okay, and I just felt strong. Although it was a bit warmer than expected, there were enough cooling possibilities. At about 30 km, I started to get quite a lot of pain in my hips, quads, hamstrings, and calves. The pain got worse and worse, probably due to my injury and therefore lack of mileage in the training. My pace dropped a little, but I managed to keep it relatively stable and finish in 3:17:24, which I was happy with! I couldn't really walk for two days afterwards, but that's part and parcel of it.
Nienke
I started training for my first marathon ~ Rotterdam – around November. I got off to a great start. My initial goal was to run under 4 hours, but my training sessions went well, so that soon became less of a focus. Of course, there were plenty of good training sessions, but there were also some less good and harder training sessions. Sometimes, I had to push through, and other times, I had to listen to my body and take a rest when I needed it. I started training quite early, so I didn't have to worry about whether I'd be ready for the marathon. A few weeks before the race, I started to feel a bit nervous in a positive way, because I was mostly looking forward to it! I felt ready for it (and secretly you get a bit tired of all those endurance runs after a while 😉).
Sunday, 14th of April was the day: the marathon! I was supposed to start in the third wave, but I ended up in the second wave anyway. It was great to be at the start with friends! My main goal for the marathon was to enjoy it, and not to worry too much about a time (although of course I was secretly thinking about it). We started a little after 10, and I was feeling excited. The first half went well; I had a nice rhythm and could keep up with the group behind the 3:30 pacers. But after the first half, I had to slow down a little bit. Around kilometre 25, my legs already hurt quite a lot, which I thought was early. I was not happy about that. At kilometre 32, I was feeling the effects of the race. Things weren't going as I had hoped, and I wasn't able to enjoy the race anymore. I called my boyfriend to gather some courage, which helped. From then on, I started dividing it up, running to each water post, walking there while having some water, and then continuing. This worked well for me. The last 5 kilometres were tough, but wow, there were a lot of people cheering! I was happy when I saw the finish line. I finished in 3:38:02, which I'm pretty pleased with. It wasn't the marathon I'd hoped for, but I'm glad I did it and I learned a lot that I'll consider for next time.