Today, I ran the ‘Halve van Hoogland’, a half marathon starting and ending in one of my parishes (Hoogland), in about 1 hour and 51 minutes.
I’m still waiting for the official times, but I think I was a bit faster than last year, even though I wasn’t in optimal shape: I have a bit of a cold, and had to rush to the start without any warming up after celebrating two Masses at the other end of the city. It’s a small price to pay for the joy of being a priest and a runner at the same time 
I started at a good, constant pace of about 8′15” a mile, which I was able to maintain for about 9 miles. At that point, the terrain was very uneven. We were running over small country roads through the polders north-west of the city, so had to slow down a bit.
What made things very tough was the lack of food! I didn’t miss any water stop, but last year, they were distributing banana parts every 4-5 miles. This year: nothing! And since I had to speed from Mass straight to the start of the race without having time to eat, I was running from 1 pm until 2:51 pm on a breakfast I ate at 7 am. The last 4 miles, I could just feel my energy levels dropping fast, because there was no more fuel to burn.
The last mile, I started to feel the beginning of cramps in my calves. A scary moment! In my mind, I could see myself collapsing just a few hundred meters from the finish line. I tried to run as steady and relaxed as possible, hoping (and praying) that the cramps wouldn’t get worse. Thankfully, I was able to reach the finish line, and spent 10 minutes just stretching those leg muscles as much as I could!
Next year, to celebrate the 750th anniversary of the city of Amersfoort, there will be a full marathon. And I will be there of course! Hopefully in better shape, with even more energy and speed!
Congratulations Father Roderick.
Hey Father! Great news!!you are a real inspiration!
Well… Fr. Roderick, I turned 40 in April and am in terrible shape. I commend you on your masses and running. I think you are motivating me to get into shape. I hated running, but don’t mind biking, so I think I am going to have to do something after my masses!
All the best.
Fr. Brian
Aweosome! Congrats Fr, I need to get into shape for sure.
many congratulaton i was praying for you during the race with the time difference it would have been as you started
Congratulations Father! I know the joys and pains of marathoning well! I actually officially kicked off my marathon training for the Miami Marathon here in Florida in January, 2009 with a 5K race this morning.
Happy running and God bless you!
I was listening to “The Daily Breakfast” on my 5 miler this morning when you spoke of your 1/2 Marathon. Great job, Great Run, Great Inspiration to us all! Please consider starting The Healthy Catholic again – lot of us runners would enjoy it!
God Bless,
John
Congratulations, Fr. Roderick!
Great race report! low food/energy is tough especially late in the day. Good time though and I bet your celebratory meal today will be sweet indeed. Take care Fr.
Well done Fr. How about running a full marathon together next year?
@Frank: yes, let’s do that!
Father Excellent Job! You are an inspiration to all us Couch Potatoes!!
Congratulations Fr. Roderick! I love listening to The Daily Breakfast and I am really proud of you!
Congrats Fr. Roderick! Just got back from Rome and your podcasts are the best!… My husband and I did the Fr. Roderick podcast Rome tour and we loved it! Come to Spain and walk the Way of St. James, a walking marathon of sorts! We would love to see you in our neck of the woods!
Thanks again for all you do!
Congratulations Fr. Roderick! Your discussions of running over the years helped inspire me to run my first marathon a few weeks ago. Running provides a perfect opportunity to pray and reflect while getting a good work out. Keep up the good work and God bless!
Hello Father!
I live in Michigan, and I’ve been a loyal fan since last spring. The Daily Breakfast is a regular companion as I do my morning run. Thanks to your podcast, I’ve become a fan of other pod casters–especially Steve Runner. You are such a congenial and witty host. In my opinion, your finest shows are those where you are “on the street”. Particularly, I remember your run in Rome where you ended up running further than you planned. Your series of shows when you dissected and explained the “Exultet” were wonderful. More shows like this would be fantastic. Thanks so much for all you do!