Sonja Leenen

‘Do you stand next to the course every year cheering on our participants? And would you actually like to participate in the Arrow Venloop yourself, but are you somehow inhibited by something or someone?’ was the call on the Venloop website.

The answer to both questions was ‘yes’. Signing up for the Dream Team became an option…

I have type 2 diabetes (hereditary), the values of which have been difficult to control lately. This results in constantly increasing medication, which is not conducive to my health and which of course I am not happy with at all. The ever-changing sugar levels also mean that my energy and condition are very variable. Outside of medication, more exercise than just walking now and then would therefore be good for me.

But my diabetes is certainly not the only reason. I have been a supporter of a group of friends of (full) marathon runners (incl. husband) for a while now and I faithfully travel everywhere with them. That for ‘a while’ is not an exaggeration. In 2004 I was already in New York cheering on the first Venlo marathon initiative. An initiative and great journey from which the Venloop eventually emerged.

Training with our group of friends is not an option. The 10 km intended for the Dream Team is a small round on Sunday morning for them. But it’s about time they stood on the side of the road for me. 😊

A year or two ago I tried to run myself, with a serious knee injury as a result. After that, I didn’t manage to pick it up again myself.

In August, I finally sent my motivation to Venloop. A first acquaintance followed and at the beginning of September we started the training sessions.

How nice this is, and how good it feels!

First of all, it’s a fun and motivated group. But the structure of the training sessions, given by Henk ten Have, is also very good and motivating. Getting injured is actually my biggest fear, but because the training still consists of a lot of (strength) exercises and interval, I notice that that load is gradually built up. Good guidance is therefore oh so important. Henk takes into account what we can handle, but is not too soft.

The first round outside the gate of the sports park will be started. There is no time for objections, and that works well.

My starting point is to at least attend all training sessions as much as possible and to stay injury-free. The first one works easily because it also gives me a lot of energy. Even after a party until 03:00 in the morning, I was on the track at 09:00.

But also making the fact that I am a member of the Dream Team ‘known to the world’ is of course an extra stick.

The ultimate goal is to be at the start of the Venloop on Sunday 24 March 2024, for the first time and at the age of 55. This sprouting is then what it will go. Setting a time is, at least at the moment, not something I’m concerned with.

Sonja Leenen

Quite a few months have now passed between the first blog and this one. A period in which a lot has happened.

Although things went really well in the first weeks, unfortunately my biggest fear came true in early December: an injury to my upper leg. Because even just walking was difficult, training was out of the question for a while. A big disappointment! Unfortunately, with all good intentions, the first approach did not bring much improvement. There was little prospect of recovery. But partly through the mediation of trainer Henk and coordinator Vivian, I finally ended up in the right place with a treatment that did work.

There was adhesions and muscle knots in the thigh muscles. Exercises don’t make much sense then. Heavy-handed loosening in several sessions proved to be the solution. 😊

It was only by then mid-January. Would it still be in it? In any case, the support from the Dream team was enormous. And trainer Henk also still believed in it (although after the Venloop he admitted to having doubted at times…).

I started training again and fortunately it didn’t feel like a ‘go back to the start’ in terms of my condition. It was still painful at times, but I knew I couldn’t make the injury worse because there was no tear or other damage. I followed the treatment plan with physiotherapist Vitisha (#gratefull) and every week I ran just a little bit further. I started to believe in it again after all.

The Berden Spring Run was coming up. Since I had never participated in a race before, and wanted to avoid that extra stress at least at the Venloop, I started the 7.5k. I had two goals: keep running -so don’t walk-, and finish within the hour. I succeeded. And I liked it too. Those last 3 weeks I was able to follow the training schedule reasonably well.

On 24 March, all seven of us started. At the 10 kilometres, including no one who had ‘wandered off’ to the 5. That alone; how cool! And yes, the people I used to encourage were there for me now. (Well, most of them, a few were also running themselves.) At my own pace I started, slowly. And as the kilometres went on, I started overtaking people. And with everyone I thought, again someone who will finish ánd behind me. (Sorry, not sympathetic, but true.) At no point did I look at my watch. The pace felt good, there was not much else I could or would do. In the end, I finished in a net time of 1:15:36. So proud.

And then. As I wrote in the first blog, I also had a goal of getting my diabetes under control. That didn’t work out. In fact, my average values only increased. To explain this, additional research took place with the outcome that I do not have type 2 diabetes at all but type 1. This means that the correct diagnosis was not made 5 years ago and I have been on medication all this time that was useless. The new approach will be to inject insulin, which I hope will not affect my desire to keep running too much. Anyway, the Venloop ended up indirectly bringing this insight too. Win-win shall we say.

Finally, as I have said many times before and now for the very last time: Many, many thanks to all Dream Team members, trainer Henk and coordinator Vivian. An experience for life that has brought so much more than just the finish of the Venloop 2024.