Most of you know that I am preparing for the Finals of the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown that will be held on May 31st till June 2nd. Some of you see me in the morning, some of you see me in the afternoon or evening and most of you see me doing something different than the regular Wildhearts program. The last few weeks I got lots of questions about my prep. It’s super nice to see everyone so interested and enthusiastic! So I figured you might like it that I answer 10 of the most asked questions for you all!
#1 Do you really train twice a day? Yes, at the moment I am training twice a day on some weekdays. In the morning I do a conditioning workout and in the afternoon/evening I do strength and/or skill training and a WOD. In the weekend I am doing a longer session. And I have one full rest day a week.
#2 Why are you doing so much conditioning?
Some of the Wildhearts (especially the ‘morning crew’) see me doing lots of running, biking and rowing. I am however not doing more conditioning than I train the other components, I am just doing more than usual of everything. The conditioning workouts help me to get really fit and to get used to working under a high heartrate. And although we don’t know what workouts I will get in the Finals; there will for sure be something with running, biking or rowing.
#3 What do you eat? A lot: partyyyy! Just kidding... No to be serious, I do eat way more than usual. But I am really eating to support this amount of training and to fuel my body in the right way. That means I am tracking my macro’s every day. I am weighing and logging all my food to keep track of my carbs, protein and fat. It’s certainly no punishment to eat more (#teamcarbs yay) but it does take lots of planning, food prepping and time to get all my food on point. I allow myself one meal a week of not tracking (to stay sane peeps ;-))
#4 How do you recover?
Recovery is a hard thing when you’re training this much. I try to be in bed at 10pm every night (even in the weekends). I try to take my rest moments where I can. And I plan way less (almost none) social stuff. Also, my food helps me to recover and I am doing my mobility work. Plus, I am getting a weekly massage to keep my muscles flexible. Don’t think that is nice though, cause these massages are no joke…
#5 Do you program yourself? No way! I wouldn’t be able to do this by myself. I am relying on coach G for the full 100%. I give him my limitless trust and ‘just’ do whatever he tells me to. We are in this together. For me, this is the only way to do such a prep. It does mean though that not only I but he too puts in lots of work and time and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that.
#6 Is it hard?
YES. I can not make it any prettier guys. Training twice a day and combining that with a full time business is HARD! I make really long days, have no me-time left whatsoever and it’s not an easy time for my loving husband Sander… But hard does not mean that I am not having fun. I am really enjoying this process to the max. I am having lots of fun and I am training with lots of motivation. I am very happy with all the Wildhearts that surround me, train with me and support me.
#7 Are you ready?
Not yet but getting there! I can see the progress and that gives me confidence, but I have some more work to do. I have two hard weeks of training left and then one week of ‘tapering’. So when the Finals are there, I’ll be ready!
#8 Do you get nervous? Hell yeah! I am not nervous yet, but when I am on that competition floor my heart is racing before the beep of 3-2-1-start goes! Because of my years of experience competing in another sport I have learned to use these nerves in my favor. Cause they also give that adrenaline boost that make you able to push a little bit harder and shine a little bit brighter!
#9 What is your goal at the Finals?
To have fun! It may sound weird, but ranking doesn’t interest me at all. I am really proud to compete amongst the best Dutch females (the CrossFit Open top 4 is in the Finals) and even some top 50 athletes of the world from abroad! I’m there to have a good time, to learn and to push my own limits. I want to compete at my own best and that’s what I’m getting myself ready for!
#10 I want to do this as well
Ok, that’s not a question. But I do like to address it here cause I heard it more often the last weeks. It may seem really cool and it is! But it’s not all peaches and cream; trust me that this is a hard and stressful process as well.
I have the chance to compete on the biggest CrossFit event of the BeNeLux amongst some of the best athletes and that is a unique opportunity. That means that I will give my all to prep myself in the best way I can. But it also means that this is temporary whilst working towards this goal.
Although I am enjoying it enormously, I am also looking forward to go back to normal after the Lowlands Throwdown. To not wake up at 5am every morning, to go back to training 4-5 times a week, not rushing through the day, not being exhausted every night and having time left for family, friends and myself. Lots of people only see the cool stuff, but there is way more to it! So think about what you really want and what it requires to get there.
This is a great period, but balance is key to keep it this great! So on June 3rd I will start my day with coffee and a croissant and do nothing aaaaaaaall day. And in the mean time? I am putting in everything I got!!
Do you want to be a part of the biggest CrossFit event in the BeNeLux? See some of the best Elite athletes and experience such an event? Than you can buy your tickets (online cheaper than at the door!) here: https://www.eventbrite.nl/e/crossfit-lowlands-throwdown-finals-tickets-58976622666