The 49th TCS Amsterdam Marathon
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Training: Mizuno Neo Vista
Racing: Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2
At this point, when you see the phrase “Train to,” you already know what’s coming. It’s marathon season, baby. Yes, somehow, we found time in our busy race calendar to work towards yet another 26.2 miles of fun. This time, though, we’re not talking about the Big Apple… and we’re not going to use the phrase “Train to.” For the first time, we’re going to give you training updates and recaps for a trip abroad as we Aim for the TCS Amsterdam Marathon with a little help from our friends at Mizuno.
You already know this one is going to look a little different from our previous Train To journals, and not just because of the name. Sure, Amsterdam still has a ton of bridges, but ain’t nothin’ as tough as crossing the Verrazzano Narrows to start the morning. Oh, and Amsterdam also happens to be a city that likes its cyclists rather than using bike lanes as additional parking for delivery trucks. Sorry, I’m getting off-topic. Let’s strap in, meet our team, and find out why the heck we’re headed to Holland.
Also, to be super-duper clear, partnering with Mizuno means that they’re supplying us with travel to the race, a bib so we can do the dang thing, and the shoes that we’ll be training (and racing) in leading up to the big day. We’re ready to ride the wave, are you?
As mentioned, we’ve got a pretty busy calendar of races coming our way, so the Aim For Amsterdam team is lean and mean — just how we like it. We’ll be sending one very special teammate (who just might be writing this very announcement) to cover the canals, the Flower Market, and maybe ride a bike or two. Catch his quick bio below, and keep an eye out for another special friend who will be joining the Believe in the Run team from across the pond…
📍 Baltimore, Maryland
I’m the assistant editor here at Believe in the Run, which means you’ve probably never seen my face (unless you’ve come to a GRIT party). I’ve run one marathon, and I’m out to make up for what everyone does during their first, which is blow up at mile 20. Now, I’m smarter, more determined, and have a longer injury history that I want to overcome with my first marathon abroad. In the meantime, you can catch me flying around Believe Run Club, grabbing photos of our local Baltimore friends (and their pups).
As mentioned in my brief bio, I had a rough first marathon. I took on the challenge of the Richmond Marathon at Robbe’s recommendation, and it didn’t go so well. Despite being billed as a comfortable, 50-degree marathon, my day in RVA was hotter than, well, Baltimore for most of the year. I did what any good runner would do — I blew up at mile 20 and hobbled my way through the rest of the race, reminding my Garmin every hundred meters or so that I had not, in fact, collapsed on the side of the course.
I went out shooting for a 3:10 and crossed the line at 3:53. Still a respectable time but not what I envisioned for myself. Then I swore I’d take a full year off before running another marathon so I could lick my proverbial wounds. Or, more realistically, I dealt with bone stress in the better part of my left foot, picked up my life and moved to Baltimore, and got busy enough with work that training for short races was all I had time for.
But now we’re back. Mizuno first came to us with the idea of running the TCS Amsterdam Marathon — a race that it’s a presenting partner of — while gearing up to launch the Neo Vista, its take on a supertrainer. At first, I wasn’t sure if I could make it happen. Sure, the Neo Vista is great, with a ton of early New Balance SC Trainer vibes, but could I really run a full marathon in the funky, forward-leaning Wave Rebellion Pro? Yes, I think I can.
You already know us — we’re gear nerds. When we’re not testing out new running shoes, we’re talking about them, and the next thing we’ve gotta do is talk about what we’ll be wearing en route to the TCS Amsterdam Marathon. Here’s a quick look at both pairs of shoes and the watch that I’m trusting with my next three months of running:
The Supertrainer
Here it is, the shoe that’ll soak up the bulk of my miles — Mizuno’s Neo Vista. I’ve compared it to the original SC Trainer in the best possible way, with the right amount of stack, a ton of squish, and a full-length plate to keep me stable. The Neo Vista has an illegal amount of Enerzy NXT in the heel (44.5 mm, 8 mm drop) and a breathable knit upper, and it’s felt like a dream wrapped around my feet so far in the Baltimore summer.
The Racer
Race day might feel a little funkier, but only because Mizuno is incredibly ambitious when it comes to design. It made a big ol’ splash with the technically legal stack of the first Wave Rebellion Pro, only to refine it for the Wave Rebellion Pro 2 while staying just as ambitious. I don’t have a ton of miles in Mizuno’s carbon-plated racer just yet, but I’ve put it through its paces for a Believe Run Club outing, and it’ll be on my feet for the Charles Street 12, too.
The Watch
As a certified Garmin Guy, this one is a surprise to me, too, but hear me out — the Coros Pace 3 has way better training plans at your disposal if the marathon is your goal. Sure, the Garmin Epix Pro 2 might be the best watch ever made, but I trust a 12-week plan designed for my goal pace over adaptive workouts that could change at a moment’s notice. I’ll still switch back to my Garmin any time I need to make a wireless payment or head for a quick climbing session, though.
And with that, the countdown is on. It’s hard to believe it, but the TCS Amsterdam Marathon is almost exactly 12 weeks away. Now it’s up to me to share the highs and lows of my training with you a couple of times per week from now until then. What that’ll look like is a couple of Instagram stories per week, some pretty regular posts about how things are going, and probably a monthly update to remind you that I am, indeed, stronger than the Baltimore humidity.
Oh, and keep an eye out for me to pop up on an upcoming episode of The Drop, so you can hear all about my hopes and dreams for when I land in Amsterdam.
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Ryan is kind of like Robbe’s Igor behind the scenes. He helps to compile and clean up everyone’s reviews, and finds time to get in a few miles of his own. When he’s not running or editing, Ryan writes and reviews for Android Authority, spending time with the latest tech and complaining when things don’t work quite right. If he’s not doing any of that, maybe you’ll find him nose-deep in a crossword puzzle or trying to catch up on an endless backlog of shows to stream.
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As someone with the exact same 1st Marathon finish time down to the minute and the exact same timing for my next, I’m looking forward to following along. Good luck. The shoes look sweet; interested to hear more.