Weekly taking a day (or two) off adds value to your training, not only for recreational runners but also for those who enter races on a regular basis. Going outside, being competitive, strengthening our body, boosting our immune system, getting rid of stress, and not to forget, triggering the endorphins and endocannabinoids, which improve your mood and make you all happy after a run. They all are the positive aspects of running, and we love to focus on them. Not running for a day deprives us of these benefits. But not taking time off, which can be a lot harder than it sounds, can also hurt u ..read more

Hanne is a 23-year old Belgian athlete who rose to fame after getting silver at the European Under-20 Championships in 2015 and bronze at the World Under-20 Championships in 2016, both in the heptathlon. She qualified for the World Championships in London 2017 and Doha 2019. In Doha, she finished 11th. In between, she also broke the Belgian indoor record long-jump. Known as the girl with the smile, even during the concluding 800m of a heptathlon, it seemed like nothing could bother her. And then suddenly, at the end of September 2020, a blog post… burn out… no more heptathlons… switch to 800m ..read more

Weekly taking a day (or two) off adds value to your training, not only for recreational runners but also for those who enter races on a regular basis. Going outside, being competitive, strengthening our body, boosting our immune system, getting rid of stress, and not to forget, triggering the endorphins and endocannabinoids, which improve your mood and make you all happy after a run. They all are the positive aspects of running, and we love to focus on them. Not running for a day deprives us of these benefits. But not taking time off, which can be a lot harder than it sounds, can also hurt u ..read more

Hanne is a 23-year old Belgian athlete who rose to fame after getting silver at the European Under-20 Championships in 2015 and bronze at the World Under-20 Championships in 2016, both in the heptathlon. She qualified for the World Championships in London 2017 and Doha 2019. In Doha, she finished 11th. In between, she also broke the Belgian indoor record long-jump. Known as the girl with the smile, even during the concluding 800m of a heptathlon, it seemed like nothing could bother her. And then suddenly, at the end of September 2020, a blog post… burn out… no more heptathlons… switch to 800m ..read more

Let me start by saying that this is my personal view, based on my own experience both as a former athlete and as a coach. There are coaches out there with different ideas and mindsets, but I just want to take you on a small journey through my mind. Happiness Finals, personal records, victories… Of course, they make you happy as a coach, but actually they are just the topping on the icing on the cake. The journey to any performance starts way earlier. Weeks, months, even years. It is a long road that requires dedication and sacrifices, both from the athlete and his or her coach. But it is a bea ..read more

Don’t focus on goals that don’t challenge you, are repetitive or are impossible. Instead, focus on small wins and stretch goals. Setting a goal can be a difficult and confusing process for many runners. You want to challenge yourself, but not set yourself up for failure from the get-go. So how do you set a goal that excites you, pushes you to achieve big things and improves you as a runner while also being realistic about your abilities? Usually, runners choose one of two types of goals: 1. A goal that’s too easy or doesn’t require very much work. For example, after running a few 10K ra ..read more

The workplace directly influences the physical, mental, social and economic well-being of workers and in turn the health of their families, society and communities. Companies generally only look after the economical and social aspects, partially think about mental health and mostly ignore the physical well-being (except for medical insurances). However, the physical health of your workers plays a much bigger role in their overall well-being than you would expect. Improving this does not only have benefits for the employees, but also for the employer. Benefits To the employee Providing your emp ..read more

The best natural runners do not always win, and the best coaches do not always have winning athletes. I requires a mixture of both, where a culture is created that brings out the best in each runner individual — even if they aren’t the most naturally talented. Successful coaching and the relationship between a coach and an athlete rests on 4 pillars: Trust.  Developing trust is a huge cornerstone for success, and coaches who take a genuine approach to know the runners individually often develop the strongest relationships as a result. Coaches must get athletes to trust his/her a ..read more

This, and some minor variations on it, is the sentence I have heard the most in the past 25 odd years. Not only as a reason not to start running at all but also as a reason to skip runs. Nowadays everything in life is scheduled, from work, daily chores, kid’s extracurricular activities, meetings with friends, gym classes, etc. Well, almost everything… The majority of people who (want to) take-up running look at it as something that is not really important and can fit in-between other (scheduled) activities. Manage your time In 2017, people worldwide spent an average of 2 hours and 15 minutes o ..read more

Elite runners make a lot of sacrifices to reach the top and even more to stay there. “Run, Eat, Sleep, Repeat” may sound fun for the average runner, but if that means missing out on birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weekend getaways, etc., it becomes less attractive. Many people wonder where these athletes get the motivation to keep pushing themselves for 10, 15 or even more years. Often it comes from a personal experience that shapes their lives and way of thinking. I cannot testify for others, but I can share my story. My entire upbringing revolved around sports. In his youth (thi ..read more