Road to Valencia - Part 1 🏃

19 Aug, 2025

On Dec 7th, I'll be running my 5th marathon, in Valencia.

This week I'm starting my 16-week training program to get ready for the event. And this is the start of a series via which I want to create a journal and log of what I'm doing each week, how I felt, and my focus for the next week. Looking ahead at the event, but also keeping every other aspect of preparation in focus.

Let me get this started with a short introduction of how I got here.

My running history

I started running many years ago, with a bet amongst friends of finishing the Antwerp 10miles (16km). We did sports, but never ran. While 16km is something you could run without much training if you're active enough, it moved me to follow my first training program. With it (and even with a serious cold), I was able to finish the event.

This got me into running, after which many more 10-mile, 20km and half-marathon events followed.

A few years later, another bet was made.
This time to run the redesigned Antwerp Marathon, which would be done via an evening format.

I never did a marathon before, but strangely, I was very much looking forward to it. This also marked the first time I did serious training with intervals, log runs, ... as provided by Polar.

Unfortunately, the coronavirus hit, and the marathon was postponed by a year. Instead of stopping our training, we made the decision to create our own event and run near our home area. And that is what we did, that one Sunday in September. We went out and ran 42km together, alongside friends and family who joined us by bike. It was such a nice experience.

Finishing the event was tough, but also satisfying. And as the Antwerp marathon was only postponed, I started to train again. This time with Stryd (footpod power meter) and with its guidance, this became my first and best marathon to date. I set a goal of 3h20min, and via good pacing, I managed to finish in 3h19min. I was thrilled.

And this got the ball rolling for doing more. I did another one in Antwerp, where I had the best splits up until km 26, but afterwards struggled to finish.
And I did one more in Gent, where I ran 3h21, with slight under-training.

Valencia

I've never run abroad. I wanted to, as it's a nice experience. But it also adds extra costs and impact towards the climate (by flying). You also can't see/do it as a city trip, as the days before, you're resting your legs, and the days after, you're too sore to walk.

But as some friends decided to join, and it would be my 5th marathon, I made the decision to try to get an entry ticket as well. In true Tomorrowland-sit-and-wait-in-the-queue style, I was behind my computer, trying to get in alongside 30k+ other people. But we managed and got our entry ticket.

So here I am.

Running gear

Over the years, I've used and tested many things, but this is what I always turn to.

• Garmin Forerunner watch
  • Of course, I need a device to track my runs. I've been using Polar and Garmin for this, but eventually settled for Garmin as it offered better sensor and platform connectivity.
• Apple Watch
  • I still use my old Apple Watch for running. Yes, I use 2, but mainly as I run so often that I explore new routes and use the Garmin for navigation, while the Apple Watch guides me through all training segments.
• Stryd footpod
  • This has been the best purchase I've made when it comes to running. While you can train with pace or heart rate, the Stryd offers power as a metric, which is much more accurate. Power is something you keep at a specific level, while it's more difficult to do with heart rate and pace, which can fluctuate due to running up or downhill.
• Maurten energy gels
  • I have a sensitive stomach and have had issues in the past with performance and fructose gels. Maurten is water-based and the only gel that I've been able to use without issues.
• Running shoes
  • To run a lot, you need good running shoes. When mine are worn out, I go to a running store and do testing to get the best shoes for my running style. Shoes change every year, so it's important to always have the right fit and style for how you run. And while I initially didn't believe in different running shoes, I now own a few pairs. One for racing, one for intervals, one for long and recovery runs. You need this when you run a lot, and trust me, it does make a difference what type you use for a race.
• Shokz Openrun headphones
  • I've done many runs with my Apple AirPods, but when they died, I chose to go for the Shokz headphones. They are very comfortable, and I barely feel them when running. One thing, though, is that I need to turn the volume all the way up to listen to podcasts and audiobooks.
• HRV4training app
  • I've been using this app for many years, which provides me with training advice based on my morning HRV measurement.

Marathon goal

I still see breaking the 3h mark as a dangling carrot in front of me. Getting to 3h20min has been relatively easy in the past years, so I should be able to do better.

I'm, however, not in the best shape at the start of my training, and I'm also not getting any younger. So let's see how it goes.

For now, I'll put my goal at 3h10min - 3h15min, and hope to get there with the Stryd Marathon plan.

Focus this week

• Mon: rest
• Tue: 4x 5min intervals
• Wed: 40min recovery
• Thu: 2x 12min 30 intervals
• Fri: 40min recovery
• Sat: 40min recovery
• Sun: 90min long run

We're Tuesday when writing this, and I'm not feeling 100% ok (cold?!), so I might already switch things up for the first week 🙃.
But listening to your body is the best guidance to follow, before any of the other training advice.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

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