Six months ago, my sister Janneke couldn’t run consistent without something hurting.
She’d dealt with Achilles issues, calf problems, and the frustration of feeling injury-prone. Her longest distance ever was a half-marathon. And she often finished her runs completely exhausted.
Then she changed one thing and six months later, ran a 3:53 marathon with a negative split.
Quick announcement before I share what happened…
Thank you to anyone who has already purchased my new book “Running Breakthroughs: Transform Your Running and Life”. I love reading more than 100 5-star reviews already, so glad the book resonates!
The book is available with several bonuses and limited time launch bundles (Q&A’s, enter to win’s, coaching, athlete dinners, etc) at https://florisgierman.com/.
Can’t find the book in your country? Use this link to should direct you to Amazon in your country: geni.us/running-breakthroughs
Now back to Janneke’s story…
She started learning about intensity discipline in training AND on race day!
The result?… She ran the Amsterdam Marathon in 3:53.
First half: 1:59. Second half: 1:54.
A five-minute negative split.
While everyone else was slowing down at mile 20, she was speeding up. Her legs felt strong. Her heart rate was under control. And she actually enjoyed those final 10K. (If you haven’t watched the race day video yet, it’s already live on my YouTube channel.)
This conversation is one of my favorites because you get to hear the raw, honest experience of someone going through their first marathon journey. From the doubts about low heart rate training, to race day nerves, to that incredible feeling of finishing strong.
Click HERE to watch the full video.
► Click HERE to watch the full video.
► Or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcast or your other favorite podcast platform.
Here are some of the topics covered:
- 0:00 – Finish Strong: Janneke’s first marathon lessons
- 0:55 – Running Breakthroughs book is out NOW!
- 02:39 – Check out www.pathprojects.com
- 3:24 – Introducing Janneke & Amsterdam Marathon check-in
- 6:05 – Low heart rate training and building consistency
- 8:13 – How Janneke overcame injuries
- 10:47 – Tips for runners struggling with slow easy runs
- 11:27 – How Janneke noticed progress
- 13:40 – Building confidence through longer runs
- 15:18 – Finding rhythm and consistency
- 16:25 – How to stay motivated on tough days
- 19:23 – Growing up in a running family
- 23:00 – How to dial in your race day nutrition
- 24:00 – Fueling and hydration: training vs. race day
- 25:21 – Race plan: pacing, heart rate, and goals
- 30:47 – Halfway point reflections (21K mark)
- 33:11 – How music can boost performance
- 34:05 – Breaking the marathon into 3 parts
- 39:03 – Nutrition strategy during the race
- 40:23 – Emotions in the final stretch
- 44:10 – Facing pre-race nerves and fears
- 48:51 – Planning the next marathon
- 50:01 – Reflections on patience, balance, and growth
- 52:57 – Closing thoughts and how to be a stronger, happier, & stronger athlete
A few quotes from Extramilest Show #113 with my sister, Janneke Gierman:
“Just hold on and just do it and then give it some time and trust the program. Trust that this is going to build like a proper base… and at the end it will pay off for sure. But don’t give up too soon.”
“If you really want something and you put effort in it, then you can do it. For example, with the training schedule, it’s five times a week running. And in the beginning, I thought like, oh, this is a lot… But if you just take time to look at it and if you really want something, then you’ll manage to arrange to do it.”
“Be patient and it’s better to build a strong base than building a pace very fast. First make sure you have your base correctly and then you can build up your pace.”
“Don’t let other people scare you about a race. The experiences of other people don’t have to be your experience… You can only tell how it will be for yourself by just doing it.”
“Make a plan in advance and stick to the plan because during the race there’s so many people passing you… But you have to run your own race. At the end we passed so many people and I’m sure that were the ones who were passing me in the beginning.”
“In the beginning, it was going so slowly and I was like, ‘Okay, I want to make some pace.’ And at the end, okay, you’re right. The low heart rate training is actually pretty good.”
Cheers,
Floris Gierman
P.S. A lot of you have asked me how you can help with this book launch, and here’s how…
- Help spread the word by posting about the book on social media & tag @florisgierman – I’ll repost to my story! (book link + photos you can use)
- Or even better, buy a copy as a Christmas gift :)
- Take 30 secs to write a short review on Amazon
