Saturday, April 09, 2011

Apr 4-10 (Rotterdam Marathon Race Week)

Mon: AM - 2.5M very easy;  PM - 7.5M easy  (10M tot)
Tue: 7M easy
Wed: 10M including 4 x 1000 cruise intervals (3:10, 3:09, 3:07, 3:05) + 3 x 200 (30, 30, 30)
Thu: 8M easy
Fri: 5M easy
Sat: 4M very easy
Sun: Rotterdam Marathon - 2:35:26

Weekly Total: 44 miles pre-race
The main goal for the 2nd and final peaking week was to freshen up the legs for raceday.  It wasn't a good start as the body and legs just didn't feel like running and I had almost no motivation to run on Tuesday.  I think the cold, rainy and windy conditions had to do with the miserable feeling.  Luckily, Wednesday was a complete turnaround.  I did my last tune-up workout, cruise intervals of 4 x 1000 plus 3 x 200. My legs felt amazingly good and light.  Each 1K (3:10, 3:09, 3:07, 3:05) was faster than the previous.  The feeling and result of the workout is exactly what I needed to boost my confidence for Sunday. The rest of the week was all very easy running until raceday.
Update: Ran 2:35:26 for 67th place overall.  I'm really bummed about my run, because I was feeling great and running well until about 25K when I encountered a side-stitch.  The stitch stayed with me for the rest of the race. My next post will be the Rotterdam Race Report (my apology for taking my time).

Monday, April 04, 2011

Mar 28 - Apr 3

Mon: 8.7M easy run
Tue: AM - 5M easy run;  PM - 10M including 10 x 1' @ ~5k effort w/ 1' easy @ brisk pace  (15M tot)
Wed: 13.2M easy run
Thu: AM - 4.5M easy run;  PM - 10M easy run  (14.5M tot)
Fri: 12.2M including 4 x 2000 tempo intervals (6:38, 6:36, 6:32, 6:28) w/ 400m rec + 3 x 200m (30, 30, 30)
Sat: 8.8M easy run
Sun: 12M fast-finish long run; first 6 miles easy then 10K (Parelloop) in 34:50

Weekly Total: 84 miles on 9 runs/7 days
This week was the start of the peaking period for Rotterdam.  I decreased the total weekly mileage, but kept the quality workouts intense to keep the engine revving.  The fartlek workout of 10 x 1' on Tuesday felt shorter than what I'm used to, which is a very good sign. On Friday I did 2K tempo intervals on the track, each 2K faster than the previous one.  Sunday was my last fast-finish long run and dress rehearsal for the marathon.  Because my girlfriend was running a race in Parelloop Brunssum, I decided to enter the 10K and run my fast-finish long run as part of the race.  I ran the first 6 miles easy before the race started, and then jumped into the 10K (don't worry, I registered) to run the marathon pace portion of the workout.  I actually ended up exceeding my marathon pace speed limit.  However, I still ran controlled and practically kept the same pace throughout the race.  My 10K time in the Parelloop recreation run was 34:50 with 5K splits at 17:30 and 17:20.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Mar 21-27

Mon: 9M easy
Tue: AM - 5M easy; PM - 14M including 20 x 1' fartlek w/ 1' rec at brisk pace  (19 tot)
Wed: AM 4.5M easy;  PM - 13.3M easy  (17.8M tot)
Thu: AM - 5M easy;  PM - 10.4M easy  (15.4M tot)
Fri: 15.3M including 10M steady state/tempo in 56:31 - 5:39 pace
Sat: 8.7M easy
Sun: 20.2M Fast-Finish Long Run; first 12 miles @ 6:40 pace then last 8M @ 5:43 pace

Weekly Total: 105 miles on 10 runs/ 7 days
It was my last hard week of training and now it's time to start the peaking period for Rotterdam.  The training week went very well. I only ran once on Monday so that the legs would have a bit more recovery after last Sunday's 24-miler.  Tuesday was a fartlek workout of 20 x 1' at slightly faster than 5k effort. My legs felt a little heavy early in the run, but better as the workout progressed.  Wed and Thu were easy runs of 90 and 70 minutes respectively, each were preceded with an easy 30'+ run to work.  Friday's workout was a strength-building workout, a 10 mile Steady State run, in which I turned into a tempo run because I was feeling good.  After a 20' minute warm-up I started the steady state run at 5:38-5:40 pace and pretty much maintained the pace for the entire run.  I ran the 10M steady state/tempo in 56:31 (5:39 pace), certainly my fastest 10 miler as a training run. Sunday was a fast-finish long run and dress rehearsal for the marathon.  I ran 20 miles, the first 12 miles easy at 6:40 pace and then finished the last 8 miles (13K to be exact) in 46:09, an avg pace of 5:43 (3:33/km).  I'm extremely happy with this fast-finish long run, especially considering the I only had one easy day following Friday's workout.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Mar 7-20

Mar 14-20


Mon: 9M easy
Tue: 15M easy
Wed: AM - 4.6M easy; PM - 13.1M easy  (17.7M tot)
Thu: AM - 4.5M easy; PM - 10.2M easy (14.7M tot)
Fri: AM - 4.6M easy; PM - 13.5M including 6 x 1600m (5:16, 5:15, 5:13, 5:10, 5:10, & 5:08) w/ 400 rec + 3 x 200 (30, 31, 30) w/ 200 rec  (18.1M tot)
Sat: 8M easy
Sun: 24M steady long run; 6:33 pace

Weekly Total: 106 miles on 10 runs/7 days
To ensure that I recovered from last week's half-marathon, I only did easy running, but distance, for the first 4 days.  The quads were sore early in the week, but fine and ready for Friday's quality session.  I did 6 x 1600m aerobic capacity intervals, which compared to the same workout on Feb 25, went extremely well.  Interestingly, the first couple intervals felt the hardest.  Sunday's 24M long run went better than I expected.  I was running on relatively tired legs as I spent the entire Saturday afternoon touring Brussels, both the Upper and Lower Town.


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Mar 7-13

Mon: AM - 6.5M easy; PM - 7.5M easy
Tue: AM - 4.6M easy; PM - 13.3M including 8 x 1K Cruise Intervals (3:20, 3:17, 3:16, 3:15, 3:12, 3:11, 3:10, and 3:08) w/ 200m rec + 3 x 200 (33, 32, 32) w/ 200 rec  (17.9M tot)
Wed: AM - 5M easy; PM - 10M easy  (15M tot)
Thu: 10M including 10 x 1' hard w/ 1' rec at brisk pace; rolling course
Fri: 6.2M easy
Sat: 5M easy
Sun: CPC Loop Den Haag - 1:13:09; Half-marathon PB by 8 seconds; (5K - 17:11, 10K - 34:39 (17:28), 15K - 51:57 (17:18), 20K - 1:09:29 (17:32))

Weekly Total: 85 miles on 10 runs/7 days
I continued to train throughout the CPC Loop race week and only eased off a couple days before the race.  The 1K cruise interval on Tuesday was a good session and I found myself feeling better and getting faster in each successive repeat.  However, Thursday's workout was a little different, in terms of feeling, as my legs felt sluggish and tired.  The planned workout was 8-10 x 1' fartlek.  I wasn't having the best workout, but still pushed along. When I got to repeat #8 I told myself that that was enough and to call it for the workout.  However, my stubbornness did not let me and I continued with the remaining 2 repeats, which if anything just tired my legs even more.  It certainly was not a smart decision.  The CPC Loop Den Haag race on Sunday was my first race of 2011 and tune-up for Rotterdam in a few weeks. You can read the race report in the previous post.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

CPC Loop Den Haag - 1:13:09

Marathon training has been going extremely well the past 12 weeks, and training results confirmed that I was fit and ready to improve on my half-marathon PB of 1:13:17, which was set at this same race last year.  For the week of the race, the plan was to continue training, but easing off of the pace and distance of the runs to give myself a little recovery week with the race at the end.  This would also give my body lots of energy and be ready to handle the final block of training for Rotterdam.

On Thursday I did my last quality workout, 10x1'fartlek, and unfortunately, it left my legs a little too tired.  The short easy runs on Friday and Saturday were to provide some recovery and freshen up the legs for the race, which it did; however, I made an unwise decision of staying on my feet (~5-6 hrs) touring the city on Saturday afternoon.  I think all the walking on Sat., combined with 10-12 mph winds in which the last 4kms were headwinds, caused me to lose some seconds and my goal of a sub-1:13.


I ran aggressive, but controlled, early in the race and came through the 5K mark in 17:11. For the next few kilometers I ran behind a small group of runners so that I could be protected from the wind and conserve some energy for later in the race. Drafting off the group actually caused me to lose 17 seconds over the next 5K (17:28). Despite losing some valuable seconds in the 2nd 5K, I still came through 10K in 34:39. I then picked up the pace over the next five kilometers and crossed the 15K mark in 51:57 (17:18). Much better. With kilometers 16 and 17 both at 3:25 (5:30 pace), I thought to myself that if I could just hold on to this pace for the remaining 4Ks, or even increase the pace, then it would be a great day. Unfortunately, things didn't workout as I would have liked it to. The legs and breathing got heavier, and the headwinds stronger as each km passed.  I still finished strong, though it wasn't pretty (see photo above), with the last 1.1K in 3:40 (5:21 pace) and a new half-marathon PB of 1:13:09.  I am content with my performance as it's certainly not easy running a half-marathon PB during the middle of marathon training, especially that I haven't backed off that much.  The main race and focus is Rotterdam in a few weeks.

Here are the results and video clips of me here.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Race tomorrow

The CPC (City Pier City) Loop Den Haag half-marathon is tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it as it'll be my first race in 2011 and a test to see where my fitness is at for Rotterdam.  I know I'm fit and ready to run a good race, just need to get out there and run smart. Wish me luck.

Check out the below interview of Sammy Kitwara (PB of 58:58 for the half) on tomorrow's race. The guy is confident and brings up an excellent point on running a fast time.  Also, here are more interviews of the top athletes.


portret Sammy Kitwara from Like2Run on Vimeo.

Sunday, March 06, 2011

Feb 28-Mar 6

Mon: AM - 5.5M easy; PM - 9M easy (14.5M tot)
Tue: AM - 5M easy; PM - 12.6M including 16 x 400 (71-73") w/ 200 rec + 3 x 200 (32, 33, 32) w/ 200 rec (17.6M tot)
Wed: AM - 4.5M easy; 13.4M easy (17.9M tot)
Thu: AM - 5M easy; PM - 10.4M easy (15.4M tot)
Fri: 13.6M including 6M tempo in 32:54, 5:29 pace
Sat: AM - 9M easy; PM - 4.3M easy (13.3M tot)
Sun: 18M at 6:21 avg pace; last 3K in 10:35 (3:33, 3:32, 3:30)

Weekly Total: 110 miles in 12 runs/ 7 days
The training week was much of the same as the last few weeks; recovery day on Mon, speed session on Tue, endurance runs of at least an hour on Wed/Thu/Sat, lactate threshold workout on Fri, and a long run on Sun.  Tuesday's track session of 400s went well.  I ran mostly 72s with a few at 71 and 73.  I enjoyed this session because, mentally, it went by quickly (despite it being 16 repeats) only having to run one lap of the track.
Friday's tempo run was a good confidence booster for next weekend's CPC Loop half-marathon.  I ran the 6M tempo in 32:54 (5:29 avg pace) on the track. Each mile was faster than the previous one (splits: 5:40, 5:33, 5:31, 5:29, 5:26, & 5:15).  My coach told me to run the tempo pretty hard as the run would be short compared to what my legs are used to.  I guess he was right. I ran the last mile of the tempo in 5:15 with the last couple laps in 79 and 75 seconds respectively.  Today's long run was on the shorter end of the scheduled 18-22M to ensure I don't tire the legs for next weekend's race. I ran 18 miles, the first 16 miles comfortably at ~6:25 pace and then the last 2 miles (3K in 10:35; 5:41 pace or 3:32/km) at a little faster than goal MP, just to get the legs moving quickly.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Feb 21-27

Mon: AM - 5.3M easy; PM - 8.8M easy (14.1M tot)
Tue: AM - 5M easy; PM - 15.3M easy (20.3M tot)
Wed: AM - 4.4M easy; PM - 13.3M easy (17.7M tot)
Thu: AM - 5M easy; PM - 10.3M easy (15.3M tot)
Fri: 15M including aerobic capacity intervals: 7 x 1600m (5:11, 5:15, 5:16, 5:15, 5:15, 5:14, 5:14) w/ 400 rec + 3 x 200 (32, 33, 33) w/ 200 rec;
Sat: 9M easy
Sun: 20M Fast Finish Long Run; 12M @ 6:42 pace then last 8M @ 5:42 pace; (20.8 tot)

Weekly Total: 112 miles on 11 runs/ 7 days
The first half of the week was all easy running. However, saying the runs were easy would be an understatement, because the duration of the runs were at least 70 minutes or more and the pace between 6:40-6:55. On Tuesday, instead of the normal quality speed session, I ran a medium long run of 1hr 44min.  Friday was a good session of mile repeats at aerobic capacity.  The legs were certainly done after 7 repeats.  The highlight of this week's training was today's long run, a 20 mile fast finish long run.  I ran the first 12 miles averaging 6:42 pace and then finished off the last 8 miles (13K to be exact) at 5:42.  I was amazed that the pace felt manageable.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Feb 14-20

Mon:  AM - 5.5M easy;  PM - 8.8M easy (14.3M tot)
Tue:  AM - 5M easy;  PM - 13.3M including 20 x 1' fartlek w/ 1' rec @ brisk pace; (18.3M tot)
Wed:  13.4M easy
Thu:  AM - 5M easy;  PM - 10.3M easy (15.3M tot)
Fri:  AM - 4.5M easy;  PM - 14.2M including 5 x 2K tempo int (6:41, 6:39, 6:37, 6:35, 6:35) + 3 x 200 (32, 33, 32)  (19.7M tot)
Sat:  AM - 9M easy;  PM - 4.5M easy (13.5M tot)
Sun:  22M steady long run; 6:27 pace

Weekly Total:  115 miles on 12 runs/ 7 days
It was another high mileage week with a couple long quality sessions to teach the legs to run fast when fatigued.  Quite happy with the results, especially Friday's 2K tempo interval workout and Sunday's long run.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Jan 31 - Feb 13

Feb 7-13


Mon: AM - 6M easy; PM - 8.7M easy (14.7 tot)
Tue: AM - 5M easy; PM - 12M including 8 x 800 (2:32, :26, : 29, :27, :28, :27, :27, :28) w/ 400 rec + 3 x 200 (33, 33, 32) w/ 200 rec.  (17M tot)
Wed: 13.4M easy
Thu: AM - 5.5M easy; PM - 10.2M easy (15.7M tot)
Fri: AM - 5M easy; PM - 14.5M including 10M tempo run in 57:07 (19.5M tot)
Sat: AM - 9M easy; PM - 4M easy (13M tot)
Sun: 18.8M long run; 6:24 pace


Weekly Total:   112 miles on 12 runs / 7 days
It was an A+ week of training this week.  An interval session of 800s on Tuesday, a 10 mile tempo run on Friday and a 2 hr steady long run complemented a 112 mile week.  The 800s went very well and I was quite surprised that I consistently hit sub-2:30 for the half-miles.  I never ran 800s that fast in the past.  On Friday, I ran a 10 mile tempo on the track. I started out at what felt like marathon pace and then slowly decreased the pace as the run went on.  I ran 5:46 pace for the first 3 miles, then 5:37-5:40 pace for miles 4-9, and then finished strong with a 5:30 mile.  


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Jan 31 - Feb 6


Mon: AM - 5.8M easy; PM - 8.7M easy (14.5M tot)
Tue: AM - 12.8M including 15 x 1' fartlek on rolling course w/ 1' rec at brisk pace; PM - 5M easy (17.8M tot)
Wed: DNR
Thu: 6M easy 
Fri: DNR 
Sat: AM - 10.5M easy; PM - 6M easy (16.5M tot) 
Sun: 18.6M steady long run; 6:28 pace


Weekly Total: 73.4 miles on 8 runs / 5 days
It was a low mileage week, compared to last week, from two DNR (did not run) because I had my last wisdom tooth extracted.  I thought that I'd only miss out on one day (surgery day), but that wasn't the case as the percocets stayed in my body forcing me to DNR on Friday.  I still ended the week on a good note as I put in 35 miles of steady easy running in the weekend.

Friday, February 04, 2011

"He can take a bullet for us someday in Afghanistan, but he can’t run with his American contemporaries?"

This is ridiculous that Army WCAP runner Joseph Chirlee, who is a US citizen of less than 2 yrs, could not run in the USA XC Championships, not even as part of the armed forces competition.  Read the full New York Times article.

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Jan 24-30

Mon: 9M easy
Tue: AM - 10M including 12 x 200 (31-33") w/ 200 rec; PM - 5M easy  (15M tot)
Wed: AM - 13.5M easy; PM - 5M easy (18.5M tot)
Thu: AM - 10.2M easy; PM - 5M easy (15.2M tot)
Fri: AM - 17.2M including 65' Steady State (5:43 pace); PM - 5M easy (22.2M tot)
Sat: 9M easy
Sun: 18.6M long run, 6:29 pace

Weekly Total: 107.5 miles on 11 runs / 7 days
It was a 20% jump in the total mileage from last week as I began doing doubles.  The legs handled the mileage well while still running good in the quality workouts. This really isn't a surprised to me because my body and legs are accustomed to high mileage.  On Friday I increased the steady state run by 10' for a total 65 minutes. This was by far the longest steady state or tempo run I've ever ran.  For the 65' I averaged 5:43 pace and covered 11.4 miles.  It was the same exact pace I ran in last week's steady state, but 10' more.  Sunday's steady long run also went extremely well. Ran 18.6M (30K) in 2 hours and avg'd 6:29 pace, which was 10 seconds per mile faster than last week.  I was comfortable the entire run and never felt like I was exceeding the long run pace/effort.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Jan 10 - 23

Jan 17-23

Mon: 9M easy
Tue: 11.3M including 12 x 70" w/ 80" rec jog + 3 x 200 w/ 200 rec
Wed: 13.2M easy
Thu: 10.3M easy
Fri: 15.4M including 55' Steady State
Sat: 9M easy
Sun: 18M long run

Weekly Total: 86.2 miles on 7 runs / 7 days
More snow fell Tuesday morning in Boston so I ran my scheduled 400s (70") on the treadmill. I ran 12 repeats at 4:52 pace (simulating a track session of 400s).  Wed I ran 90' on the Lexington roads before heading back to the Netherlands.  On Friday I ran a Steady State run of 55', an increase of 10' from the last two weeks.  It was the best steady state run I've had in this train up to Rotterdam.  For the 55' I averaged 5:42 pace covering 9.6M.  Sunday was my first 2hr long run of this marathon training. I didn't feel all that great (had a little too much to drink the night before), but still managed to put in a good run as I averaged 6:39 pace for 18 miles.

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Jan 10-16

Mon: 8.7M easy
Tue: 12.4M including 15 x 1' fartlek on rolling course w/ 1' rec at brisk pace
Wed: 13.2M easy
Thu: DNR; travel to Boston
Fri: 13.6M including 45' Steady State on slightly rolling course
Sat: 9.3M easy
Sun: 16.2M long run

Weekly Total: 73.4 miles on 6 runs / 6 days
Training continues to go well. On Tuesday I ran a fartlek workout of 15x1' hard/easy. I ran this fartlek on a rolling course so that some fast running is done on up hill, some on flat ground and some on down hills.  This is a common workout for me, but the difference this time around was that I ran the recovery 1' at a brisk pace rather than easy jogging.  Thursday I DNR (did not run) due to my travel to Massachusetts to visit my gf.  On Friday I did a 45' steady state run on a 3.5M loop that was slightly rolling. The workout went okay. My legs were a bit tight from traveling, and I was tired probably from jetlag. On Sat and Sun I ran on the Minuteman Bikeway, a 10-mile bikeway that stretches from Bedford to Cambridge and passes through historical Lexington.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Running article

My hometown newspaper did a story on how I picked up running and my path to April's Rotterdam Marathon.  Read the article here.

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Jan 3-9

Mon: 8.7M easy
Tue:  10M including 12 x 200m (32-33") w/ 200m rec jog
Wed: 13.2M easy
Thu: 10M easy
Fri: 15M including 45' steady-state run in the middle of the run
Sat: 8.4M easy
Sun: 15.8M long run

Weekly Total: 81 miles on 7 runs/7 days
I had three good quality sessions this week: 200s on Tue, a 45' steady-state on Fri and a steady long run today.  The steady state on Fri was a tough run, not necessarily because of the pace but because of the duration of the run.  The effort and pace was about right. I started out around marathon pace for the first 10 minutes and then settled in at close to half-marathon pace for the remainder of the run.  This morning's long run (6:38 pace) went very well as I ran practically the same route as last week and finished 3 minutes faster. I could certainly tell that my fitness is improving, especially when the pace for my easy runs are faster with the same effort.

Monday, January 03, 2011

Dec 27 - Jan 02

Mon: 8.6M easy
Tue: 12.2M including 6 sets of: 1' @ 5:42 pace & 6% incline w/ 1' rec + 1' @ 5:00 & 1% incline w/ 1' rec (treadmill)
Wed: 7M easy
Thu: 5.7M easy
Fri: AM - 3M easy; PM - Sylvesterloop Elsloo 10K - 5th Place 32:58 (PR); 14M total
Sat: 8.7M easy
Sun: 15.5M long run

Weekly Total: 72 miles on 8 runs/7 days
Running conditions early in the week were too icy, so I opted to run the scheduled fartlek on the treadmill.  Despite my dislike for treadmill running, I had a good workout and I think it set me up nicely for Friday's New Year's Eve race, which was a positive end to 2010.  Sunday was a long run of 108 minutes. My legs felt fairly good and with the exception of a little tightness in the calvesI wouldn't have remembered that I ran a race a few days before.

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Sylvesterloop Elsloo

The Sylvesterloop Elsloo 10K was my last race and run for 2010.  It was also the only race scheduled until March when I'll run a half-marathon as a tune-up for Rotterdam.  I was certainly looking forward to this race, because it would give me a good sense of my current fitness leading into marathon training.  The 10K course consisted of 200 meters followed by 7 laps around a 1400 meter loop.  It is a farily flat and fast course, but the only problem was that by the 3rd or 4th round faster runners would have to weave their way through slower runners who were being overlapped. 

When the bull-horn went off I made sure not to go out too hard.  The front of the race developed within the first kilometer.  I counted 5 runners ahead of me, 4 of the 5 runners I knew (later found out the other runner's name was Vincent) .  By the 2nd lap I only had the 4th and 5th runner (Vincent and Patrick) within sight, about 20 meters ahead of me.  The first three runners pulled away and eventually went on to take the podium placing.  On lap 5 I began closing in on Patrick and Vincent.  The back side of the loop course is a very slight gradual incline, ~5m elevation gain over 600 meters, and it is where I picked up my pace and caught Patrick.  I was now in 5th place and approximately 10m behind Vincent.  I thought that somewhere in the 7th and final lap I would be able to overtake Vincent.  That never happened as the freezing cold got the best of my lungs and had to settle for 5th place.

I was happy with a 5th place finish, but even happier and shocked when I crossed the finish and saw the time on my watch read 32:58, a 17 second PR.  I couldn't believe it!  I had no idea during the race that I was running somewhere close to low-33 or sub-33 10K pace.  And even if I had looked at my watch during the race it would be extremely difficult to see my running time, because it was dark and there was only limited lighting on the course (night race).  Here are the results and a sports news coverage of the race (wearing a green singlet w/ black arm sleeves).

I'm thrilled not only to have ended the new year with a 10K PR, but also to go into 2011 and Rotterdam marathon training with a good level of fitness.