The Athlete Blog (2025)

19/09/2025

This weekend I get to experience something familiar, but from a completely different perspective — the Berlin Marathon.

I’m not running it this time (I wish I was). Instead, I’ll be there as a coach, supporting several of my athletes and friends as they take on the 42.2 km challenge.

It’s rare to have so many people I know racing in an event I’m not part of — so I decided to make myself part of it 😉 Just thinking of the atmosphere takes me back to when I ran Berlin myself: suffering through the final miles, crossing the finish line exhausted but thrilled with a new PB. That medal still reminds me that every race is both a challenge and a teacher.

This will be a short and sleep-deprived trip (leaving tomorrow at 4:30 a.m. — very much in my 7-7-7 style 🙃). Lots of action, but so worth it!

I am looking forward to spectating at 35k mark – when you’re almost there, but not so much. Witnessing people push beyond what once felt impossible is like jet fuel for personal motivation. Months of disciplined training, learning & adapting, overcoming mental obstacles with each milestone they cross – all while balancing family, work, and life. And all of it 'only' to perform on a single day. Mind-blowingly inspiring.

But the true reward is not just the finish line. It’s habits and resilience built along the way. And the ripple effect goes far beyond sport:

✔️ Clear goals – Whether it’s finishing 42.2 km or driving a project, awareness and focus builds momentum.
✔️ Ex*****on – Results are built on daily habits, not sporadic bursts of effort.
✔️ Adaptability – Every long journey has surprises. The best performers adjust without losing focus.
✔️ Resilient mindset – Endurance isn’t just physical. It’s the ability to keep going when motivation fades.

Race day or workday — the real win is proving to yourself that you can keep going when it counts. That’s resilience.

20/08/2025

From corporate life to 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days 🌍🏃‍♂️

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking at about my journey — not just in sport, but in life and business. Living and working in 6 countries. Leading international teams and large-scale programs. And reinventing myself from a professional athlete into a high-performance coach.

I shared the lessons I learned from both victories and setbacks — from injuries & burnout to personal power & growth. About the impact of chasing ambitious dreams and adapting when things don’t go the way you planned. And, of course, how the 7-7-7 challenge humbled me…

Reliving the experience of running around the world (from Antarctica where jet fuel freezes when engines are turned off to Colombia where the soles of the shoes melt from scorching tarmac) reminded me that resilience isn’t about being the strongest or the fastest – it’s about finding the courage to rise when you feel knocked down, both mentally and physically. And being willing to challenge yourself again and again.

Grateful for the opportunity to share my story and belief that true performance comes not from talent— but from resilience. 💪

04/08/2025

🚨 New training hack - forget altitude, heat training or carb loading!! Just have more kids 🫶

Apparently, the more the faster 🙌 Now the question is, 3 kids = 2:39? 🤷‍♂️😃

Sleep? Overrated. Free time? Never heard of it.

Apparently, chaos builds character AND aerobic capacity 💪

Who can back me up on this? Drop your parenting-to-pace ratio 👇

17/06/2025

Not full-blown pain. Not even discomfort. Just a whisper 👂

That tightness behind the knee that shows up for a few steps.
The slight limp off the bike.
The weird "off" feeling in your gait.
Or even just a mood shift — like, “ugh, I really don’t want to run today” (and not because you’re lazy).

Most of us learn the hard way. We push past the whisper… until it becomes a cry.

But over time, experienced athletes get better at spotting their personal red flags — and adjusting before things go south. Usually, through trial and error. That's how resilient athletes remain in the game.

👉 What’s yours? That early signal you’ve learned to listen to?
Drop it below — it might help someone else recognize theirs too.

04/06/2025

Happy Global Running Day!! 👟 🌍

Whether you’re chasing a new PR, exploring trails or simply putting one foot in front of the other, you’re part of something amazing 🫶

From the solitude of a morning jog to the electrifying energy of a marathon finish line - running connects us all.

Running has given me peace and space to discover who I am. And it challenges me to become a better and more resilient version of myself 🏃‍♂️🙏

What about you? How has running impacted your life?

19/05/2025

⭐️ 🇱🇻 2:49:03 🇱🇻 ⭐️

So happy with how the weekend turned out and especially thankful for all the support - on the course and off it!! It’s incredible to hear loud cheering ‘Latvija’ while running through an empty town 🇱🇻🫶 the straight along the freedom monument was emotional and next level 🥹

Thank you to everyone who made this weekend special! I truly appreciate you!! 🙏

So happy about this PB and a BQ. When I started running my goal was always to break 3 hours. It took me 9 years and 6 attempts (not counting all IM and 777 marathons) to do it 🏃‍♂️ but now after putting the first thoughtful training block and getting a 14min PB I feel there’s a lot of untapped potential 😃

As a self-coached runner I sometimes have doubts. That’s natural. But over 20+ years in the game I know my body and my metrics better than anyone. The challenging part is always to switch between ‘me the athlete’ and ‘me the coach’ to slow it down. Especially when all is going so well - to avoid overcooking 🧑‍🍳

This was a solid and very focused 12-week block. Not only am I happy about the result, but also about how I approached the race. The training, periodization, recovery, nutrition, managing my Achilles pain, the final day preparations, the pacing & fueling plan, the mental training.

I’ll share all of it in my upcoming course - Marathon Lifestyle Bootcamp - with tools, workouts, templates and more. Meanwhile, you can reach out for 1:1 coaching. All links in bio, stay tuned 🔗

But for now - a well deserved rest 🛌 💤

22/03/2025

Real coaching starts when things get challenging...

Here’s a recent story: is an utra trail runner (70-100k races) who developed an Achilles issue over the off-season. We’ve worked together for a few years now and I typically help him organize annual training for all his crazy mountain adventures 🏃‍♂️⛰️

Now at the beginning of the season we meet again and he comes to me with nagging pain that doesn’t let him enjoy the mountains. Too painful to run or ski, so he developed a relationship with Zwift over the winter instead 🚴 Not ideal for the season start, considering that a 100k is on the horizon..

Sometimes you need to play the cards you’re dealt. An injury is not the end of the world. It always leaves clues. In most cases - clues to what is the weakest link and what needs to be strengthened.

Yes, strength is the answer, not rest 💪 Overuse injuries usually happen because there’s more load than the tendon/muscle is capable of handling. So, once acute inflammation & pain subsided (only nagging pain is left), it’s time to work. Not wait another 3 months to ‘let it heal’..

That’s exactly what we’re starting 2025 season with. Releasing & strengthening the calves, opening the hips, doing some walks with a few minutes of jogging. The foundation - and it starts to work 👍

Many years ago an incident completely changed my approach to injuries. I sprained my shoulder badly in a ski accident. Doctor’s orders were 6 months of rest, but afterwards I still felt shooting pain when lifting arms overhead or changing directions rapidly.

I noticed that after surfing my shoulder felt much better and there was almost no pain. It turned out, paddling on a surfboard strengthened rotator cuff muscles around the shoulder, which put it ‘in the right place’.

Since then, my approach to pain was always to mobilize and strengthen stabilizers around. And I tell you, it works like magic ✨

So far, none of my athletes have skipped a race or fell out of training due to an injury - even if pain comes just weeks before a big event. We’ve always managed to get ahead of it (and not suffer through it).

06/02/2025

📚 MY WORLDWIDE BOOK TOUR 🌎

A year after publishing ‘The Resilient Athlete’ I decided to do something special to celebrate it. My goal was to take all mindset, lifestyle and training strategies I share in the book and put them to a gruelling test. And boy did they work!!! 💪

What better way to test resilience than running marathons every day for a week on all 7 continents while navigating sleep deprivation, extreme temperatures and travel challenges. It’s all excuses put together - “I don’t have time. My schedule is packed. It’s late. It’s dark. It’s too cold. It’s too hot. I haven’t slept well..” We got all of that and then some during . From freezing cold of Antarctica that makes your gels turn into ice to hot inferno of Colombia that makes your insides boil. Resilience is the mantra that helped me navigate it all and finish the challenge with a smile 🙌

Click the link in bio to get your copy of ‘The Resilient Athlete’. It’s a book about hero’s journey and how to keep going in the face of challenges. A great gift for yourself, your loved ones and even your children! Keep the adventure spirit high and keep going 🤘 🌍

The Athlete Blog

19/09/2025

20/08/2025

04/08/2025

17/06/2025

04/06/2025

19/05/2025

22/03/2025

06/02/2025

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