Running together apart – Rotterdam Marathon training

It was a great idea to run our long run of the week together. 13 Bergse Runners (including 1 on a bike) gathered at Martien’s & Irme’s house in Hilversum to run 26 km together. We are training for a combination of the Rotterdam Marathon and the Slachte Marathon. I, of course, am training for both…

I pointed out that I would be the slowest as I was focused on a low heart rate – target c. 145. This was quickly solved as a couple of others were also planning to run between 9 – 10 km/ hour.

Of we set all together. I realised quickly that my HR was nearer 150 – 155 so tried to slow down. I fell in with the other two runners and the rest of the group progessed further and faster. They turned back to “pick us up” a number of times.

Running past cows near Hilversum - surrreal!

It was great to be out in the fresh air. Wind still and we were running through woods and on soft ground and across the “plains” of Hilversum where its sandy and heathery (Hilversum Heideheuvel).  We even ran past some “wild” Scottish type cows that roam freely on the downy area!

I dropped a little behind my two colleagues to try to bring my heart rate down. It worked now it was 148 – 152 – good!

I was belted up with Winrgy, Sure2Endure and ProXtreme. This turned out to be a very good thing! MY goal was to run for 2 hours 15 mins.

As we trotted through the wooded area the head group turned off left. My two friends ahead of me carried on. So, thinking that the faster runners were going to run a loop and catch us slower ones at the other end, I trotted after my friends. After a few meters – and a woodpecker that I actually saw! – my friends told me that they were going to run a shorter run (I must have missed something in the briefing!).

So I turned around – the woodpecker flew away – and jogged off after the main group – which I could no longer see. I turned right, where they had turned. I carried on. There was a fork in the road. Straight on appeared to be the main way and left looked as if we would have doubled back. So I chose straight on.

There was no way of seeing too far ahead and I looked left and behind  - also no sign. I carried on, lots of dog walkers, joggers, mountain bikers, even a pony and trap! No sign of my group!

Agh a group of runners! Could this be them? By now I was heading for the open heathery ground. Yes! No definately not my group. Oh well I would just have to enjoy the run.

I pulled my phone out of its holder and looked up a few numbers that I thought I had. I rang a few. Voice mail! I rang Eveline on the bike – she was cycling another route!! But advised me that they were heading for Lage Vuurche but not all the way. At some stage I would see a sign for Hilversum.

OK – so I may as well enjoy the run – which, apart from losing the group – was going rather well. I had pretty much everything anyway – phone, supplies and, if I really needed it, navigation.

I trotted over the soft heather. In the summer the entire are is purple. I could see the flowers starting to come through but they were looking rather black and almost a burnt colour.

I found the signs to Lage Vuursche – that reassured me that I was NOT lost just taking a different route

Indeed also a sign to Hilversum – 2 km. But I still had 40 mins to run so that was not far enough. Still let’s see where I came. I saw the Anthony Fokkerweg that, I remembered, was on the edge of Hilversum. I had just run past a rather interesting looking area called the Anna Hoeve it seemed to be part of the Gooi Natuur reserve. It worth investigating and I had the time. Indeed it was interesting and I found myself running under the A1. I could see the sign for turn off Hilversum North. Ummmm I think Martien & Irme’s house is in the south.

I turned round and headed back towards the Hilversum that I had seen before.

I had now been running for some 2 hours and 5 mins. OK so I would run longer than planned but I guessed that the others would be pushing towards 2 hr 30 min so I would be fine.

I found myself in Hilversum! But where on earth in Hilversum?

Waze to the rescue! And the link to the addres that my clever husband had shown me how to do. Yes found it now I was on the way. Oh, 3,9 km blast!

Oh well – I would get there…

I was now 1,5 km from destination.

Phone rang.

Evelien – and Irme to the rescue! Where was I?

I had just run past an address – Urechtseweg  - OK we are coming!

2 mins later I saw that I was in another road. A quick call back to rectify the error and within 10 mins I was in a lovely warm car. We shot back to the house with delicious apple pie and warm tea. Fantastic! What a great end to a great (GREAT BIG) run – I was actually 2 hr and 40 mins!!!

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Kwart vroeggeboorten door overgewicht moeder

Zwangere vrouwen moeten zeker op hun gewicht letten. Het heeft grote invloed op hun kinderen

Hoewel een groot deel van de vroeggeboorten wordt geweten aan bijvoorbeeld roken, staat overgewicht bovenaan als oorzaak van kinderen die te vroeg worden geboren. Bij een kwart van de te vroeg geboren kinderen is de moeder te zwaar. Bij etnische groepen is dat zelfs meer dan 30%. Het onderzoek is gedaan in Amsterdam maar de resultaten zijn volgens de onderzoekers redelijk algemeen uit te leggen. Zij benadrukken ook dat er bij zwangere moeders aandacht moet worden besteed aan hun gewicht.

Veel kinderen zijn zelf ook te zwaar. In 2006 was eenzesde van de kinderen obese, volgens onderzoekscijfers van BUPA. In de Verenigde Staten is onderzocht dat kinderen van te dikke ouders zelf ook een grotere kans hebben te zwaar te worden. Alle reden dus om (ja, voor de feestdagen en het nieuwe jaar met goede voornemens) stil te staan bij een goed gewicht!

Will this Christmas make a difference?

Just watching ads on the UK telly. Turkeys are flying round, as do mince pies and present suggestions. The holiday season normally is one to celebrate, to enjoy. Many people do. However, there is this year an important sharp edge to the special time. For many small and medium-sized businesses, this time must do very well. It makes the difference between surviving and going down. Every shop – a chain or sole entrepreneur – is fighting for the custom. And it is the customer who this year especially can make a difference to many lives. Can you help? Yes. When buying your Christmas presents, think of the small retailer if you have a choice. And the retailer? Perhaps he likes to know of starting a new revenue stream that may require just a little effort but has a potential to free him from the traditional entrepreneur’s worries…

Decide in business. You always can do it differently

Mercedes-Benz' great heritage. Making decisions and acting fast can be of business advantage

Last week, I spoke to a business man who has a couple of marinas and a huge historical Mercedes-Benz collections, and a yacht transport firm. We came to talk about what he found valuable in business. His reply was: ‘Make decisions fast and act. It gets business going. If you don’t decide, you do know one thing for sure: the business will not move. If you appear to have made a wrong decision, you always can decide to do it differently. At least, you know the results of your action.’

It was striking that later this week, I had to inform a person who takes a long time to decide to start with our business that if he had decided – more importantly: acted -quicker, he would have a deal that could be more attractive to start. He is missing out the starting package, and the first weeks of his business (because he did not start yet). Two examples with one person where making a decision faster could make his business run better. He is missing out on that particular part. I’m following my plan, working with people who actually make a decision and act upon it. They will earn.

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How is it some people never are sick?

In the UK, there are good places to live and feel happy. Image by IceNineJon via Flickr

I haven’t called in sick for the last 22 years. Yes, I may have had an accidental cold and sneeze. But that’s about it. Do you know more of them, people who never seem to have their aches and pains, never are ill? How can they do it? I know it roughly and recognised quite a lot from a handy list.

1. Don’t sit on a chair all the time, keep moving! Just exercise a bit for half an hour a day (even in Europe this is more than average), take the stairs instead of the elevator (even in the tube stations, it may be faster).
2. Eat healthy building blocks: anti-oxidants, salvestroles (in broccoli)
3. Stop thinking all the time, worrying is not good! Stress is neither. It undermines your immune system and exhausts the body.
4. Sleep well. This is the recovery time you need. Not everybody may have to sleep for eight hours, but you need to have a quality sleep.
5. Invest in your social network: it keeps you healthy and fit. Research has revealed that socially active people don’t have a cold so often. And making other people happy is contageous and causes a chain reaction.
6. Wash your hands regularly, using soap. I’m sometimes amazed people don’t do this at obvious moments. Did you know that a filler at a fuel station carries even more bacteries than a toilet seat?

I do recognise some of them, and I was surprised to find a couple on them but to be honest: a positive attitude to life is worth a lot!

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What will your pension bring you? Really?

Image via Wikipedia

The headline in our (Dutch) newspaper ‘Pension Cut Expected’ attracted my attention this morning. The pension funds should be better now? No, in contrary. Roughly half of the (big) pension funds in the Netherlands (compulsory contribution, collective arrangements) are expected to announce a shortage and cutting payments in 2013. These cuts can vary from 3% in average up to 15%. Also contributions are expected to increase. Where is that money going?
In other countries, the situation is no different. In the UK, the penion age is increasing and people are even adviced to think about changing career, especially when doing physically demanding jobs.

A comfortabel old age is apparently not what you will expect if you are depending on collectives or state pension. The trouble is that when you are at that point, it is difficult to make a difference. For me, the thought that retirement would mean ‘more time, less money’ scared me. For a long time. That made me think and working towards a sustainable solution that makes me independent of other people’s decisions. What’s happening in these days only confirm my vision and the importance to not be reliant on those systems. Did you think of your future? Really?

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Your Business Can Survive – in Any Economy!

Image by alexmachines via Flickr

Forbes describes in a great article how any business can survive and grow, in any economy. I think the article touches to a couple of enrtepreneur’s characteristics and bare business basics. For example the stock market. This seems to be a guidance on the overall economy, and according to me it is heavily overvalued in the media. It is a derived, parallel market which turns everybody’s eyes away from what is most important: running a business that makes money. And there still is money, and people still want your products and services – you may need to emphasise the solution you can bring to them. You may need to re-focus on the benefits that you and your company may bring to the clients – perhaps this can be drastical. Where are you saving the client headaches and money? Show this and you have a benefit that is worth the price. Look where potential clients will be and allow to be found. You must be the solution – but your (potential) clients need to be aware of that. So communicate!

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