Guam-Runner's Blog

Apr 4-10 (Rotterdam Marathon Race Week)

2011-04-09T18:40:00.004+02:00

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).

Mar 28 - Apr 3

2011-04-04T21:50:00.000+02:00

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.

Mar 21-27

2011-03-27T21:55:00.000+02:00

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.

Mar 7-20

2011-03-26T21:17:00.003+01:00

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.

CPC Loop Den Haag - 1:13:09

2011-03-20T18:32:00.002+01:00

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.

Race tomorrow

2011-03-12T06:45:00.003+01:00

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.

Feb 28-Mar 6

2011-03-06T21:56:00.000+01:00

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.

Feb 21-27

2011-02-27T21:32:00.001+01:00

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.

Feb 14-20

2011-02-21T19:33:00.000+01:00

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.

Jan 31 - Feb 13

2011-02-13T21:32:00.055+01:00

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.

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

2011-02-04T10:48:00.000+01:00

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.

Jan 24-30

2011-02-03T07:48:00.004+01:00

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.

Jan 10 - 23

2011-01-25T18:28:00.003+01:00

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.

Running article

2011-01-12T07:25:00.000+01:00

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

Jan 3-9

2011-01-09T21:55:00.002+01:00

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.

Dec 27 - Jan 02

2011-01-03T17:21:00.011+01:00

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.

Sylvesterloop Elsloo

2011-01-01T23:07:00.007+01:00

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.

2010 Year in Review

2010-12-31T15:18:00.005+01:00

There's no doubt that 2010 was my best running year having set a personal best in almost every race distance I ran, even though it wasn't many. I only ran a total of 9 races (including tonight's New Year's Eve 10K) and recorded a personal best in 4 race distances (5K, 10K, half-marathon, & marathon). I did not run a 5K race this year, but the time was a PB for the distance as part of a 10K race (2nd 5K split). I know my 5K PB is a bit modest and I'm sure it would have been much faster had I entered and ran the actual race distance.

The Jesolo 10K race in Italy, during my vacation trip to Venice, was a huge breakthrough for me. I cut a whopping 39 seconds off my previous PB. More importantly, it was a confidence booster for me leading into the Munich Marathon. Three weeks before Munich, I ran the Hoogland half-marathon expecting to run a PB and go sub-1:13. Unfortunately, mother nature wasn't nice and treated us to some crazy winds. On the bright side, my girlfriend and I both won our race, so it was a good day after all. By the way, my half-marathon PB was from the CPC Loop Den Haag Half-Marathon early in the year as part of my tune-up for Rotterdam. In that half-marathon, which was also windy but not as bad as the Hoogland half, I cut my half-marathon PB by 22 seconds, but still came up short of a sub-1:13. I will run the race again in 2011 as a tune-up for Rotterdam (yes, again) and hopefully break some new ground in the half.

Munich Marathon was by far the highlight of the year. I not only ran a new personal best, but I also finally went sub-2:34, a time I should have acheived at Berlin in '09 and Rotterdam last April. It's a step in the right direction towards that illustrious sub-2:30. Besides the PB, something I'm most proud of is finishing in the Top 10 (9th overall). Yes, I know Munich doesn't attract or have the elite runners as big-name marathons like Berlin, Boston, London, etc. does, but hey, it's still a top 10 finish and it's not like Munich is not a well-known city. Where did Frank Shorter win the 1972 Olympic Marathon? :-)

Here are some numbers for the 2010 running year:

Ran a total of 9 races, 5 different race distances and 4 PBs. Interestingly, I ran 2 races each at the following distances: 10K, 15K, half-marathon, and marathon.
Ran a total of 3700 miles, that's an average of 71 miles/week or 10 miles/day.
Logged 9 weeks at 100 or more miles. Highest weekly mileage was 122 miles, which is also a career high. Lowest weekly mileage was 4 miles.
Ran a race in 3 different countries - Netherlands, Germany and Italy.\
Went through 8 running shoes: 4 x Saucony Grid Tangents, 2 x Asics 2140, one NB 904 and one NB 740.

Happy New Running Year!!!

Update!!! I just finished my last run and race of 2010. Ran the New Year's Eve race (Sylvesterloop 10K) and PR'd by 17 seconds running 32:58 for 5th place. What a great way to end the year!

The Runner in Winter

2010-12-29T20:19:00.000+01:00

Great running video from Running Times on ultra-runner Anton Krupicka.

Dec 20-26

2010-12-27T20:02:00.002+01:00

Mon: 8.2M easy

Tue: 12.5M including 4 x 7' tempo interval (on the mill) w/ 3' rec jog + 3 x 200m w/ 1' rec jog

Wed: 12.7M easy

Thu: 9.7M easy

Fri: 11.5M including 8 x 2.5' w/ 90 sec rec jog;

Sat: 8.2M easy

Sun: 12.5M long run

Weekly Total: 75 miles on 7 runs/7 days

Wasn't the best training week as more snow fell (~18 inches) throughout the week. My LaSportiva Crosslite became my daily running shoe, except for the tempo interval workout on Tuesday, which I ran on the treadmill. The 7' tempo intervals felt comfortably hard and good. On Friday I ran a fartlek workout of 2.5 minutes w/ 90 seconds rec. in horrible conditions. I ran the workout on a bike path that had about a couple inches of snow. I felt like I was running 5k effort and pace, but certainly not going as fast. My watch showed that I was running 6min pace. I'll take it though....it's strength gained in the legs.

Dec 13-19

2010-12-19T15:32:00.001+01:00

Mon: 9M easy
Tue: 9.3M easy
Wed: 9.3M including 12 x :25 seconds hill sprints with 1:30 recovery
Thu: AM - 6.2M easy; PM - 6.4M easy
Fri: 11.2M including 30 min. steady-state
Sat: 11M easy
Sun: 15.7M steady long run

Weekly Total: 78 miles on 8 runs/7 days
It was my highest weekly mileage since the end of September prior to the Munich marathon. I did easy running the first couple days of the week to recover from last Sunday's 15K cross race. On Wed I ran 12 x 25 seconds hill sprints. Friday was a 30' steady-state run. I ran the 3M warmup/cooldown outside, but did the steady-state on the treadmill because the roads were slippery with snow/ice and running fast would not be possible. Saturday's easy run was eventful in that I got bit on the elbow by a dog. Stupid dog owner did not keep his dog on the leash. Luckily though, I only received a scratch and not a puncture from the dog bite. Today's long run went very well, even with some of the roads still covered in snow.

Mescherbergloop

2010-12-14T21:03:00.003+01:00

I haven't missed the Mescherbergloop cross race in the three years I've been stationed in the Netherlands. After all, why would anyone miss it. Cross country, trails, hills, mud (or in last year's race - snow), stairs, and good competition.

After about a half mile of running on the road, the only flat portion of the course, we turned left into a pasture (picture above) and the runners began to establish their positions. I was somewhere around 10th place at this point.

Climbing the first steady hill my British colleague Charlie (white and blue) and I caught a couple of runners, including the Dutch guy wearing blue and red to the right of the picture. At about 1.5 miles we crested the hill and began a descent of about 600 meters. The blue/red runner caught back up to us on the downhill, but Charlie and I would eventually lose him for good on the second climb.

We had already passed another Dutch runner and approaching the stairs which this race is well known for. I should mention that at this point I already knew that I wouldn't be able to get away from Charlie or vice versa, even though I would put a 10 meter gap on him on the hills or stairs. Up ahead about 200 meters there was a Belgian runner who at one point I thought we could catch. That thought and the Belgian eventually faded away.

Charlie and I climbing yet another hill. Not at all planned, we were glad to accompany and push each other, especially in the latter part of the race. I remember with about 2K left in the race, Charlie was trailing me and could sense that I started to let up on the pace. He encouraged me to push on, and we both motored our way side by side to the finish in a joint 6th place. Here are the results and Dutch news coverage of the race.

I had a blast for the third year in a row at the Mescherbergloop and I'm sure going to miss it next year. Here is a comparison of my three Mescherbergloop races.

Year	Time	Place	Remarks
2010	56:45	6th	muddy course
2009	1:01:50	9th	snowy course
2008	56:41	6th	racing flats on xc/trails

Dec 6-12

2010-12-12T18:40:00.007+01:00

Mon: 9M easy
Tue: 9M easy
Wed: 9.3M including 15 x 200m (37s in snow) w/ 200m rec
Thu: AM - 5M easy; PM - 6.3M easy
Fri: 9M with 6K steady state
Sat: 7.3M easy
Sun: Mescherbergloop 15K (Cross) - 6th Place 56:45; 12M total

Weekly Total: 67 miles on 8 runs/7 days
Running conditions for the first half of the week were much of the same as last week - snow and icy. On Tuesday I ran some 200s on the snow-covered dirt track. By Friday most of the snow had melted and I was able to run in road shoes for the first time in about 10 days. I got in 9 miles with 6K at a steady-state pace in the middle of the run. I kept the steady-state run short (22 min) because of the 15K Cross race today, which was a blast. I finished in a joint 6th place with my coworker and triathlete Charlie. I'll post the race report soon.

Nov 29 - Dec 5

2010-12-07T22:11:00.000+01:00

Mon: 9M easy
Tue: AM - 6.2M easy; PM - 6.4M easy
Wed: 9M including 12 x 1' hard/easy
Thu: 9.3M easy/moderate
Fri: 8.4 easy
Sat: 6.2M easy
Sun: Kapellerbosloop 7.2K (Cross) - 7th Place 27:54; 6.5M total

Weekly Total: 61 miles on 8 runs/7 days
It wasn't the best week of training as running conditions were awful; lots of snow, ice, and freezing temps. The cross race on Sunday was my first in a very long time. The true cross country conditions (see previous post) made it a fun run, but challenging race. I'm already looking forward to my next cross race this coming weekend.

Kapellerbosloop

2010-12-05T21:43:00.008+01:00

I ran my first cross country race of the winter season. The sloppy conditions made it a true cross race. Slush, mud, snow and freezing cold. The 7.2K course consisted of 4 loops in the forest with a couple hills, one that's a fairly good climb. My performance today was right where I think it should be this time of the year. Not even close to peak fitness and feeling like I'm gaining strength. In the first loop I was in about 10th or 11th place until I passed 3 or 4 runners before the big hill. In the 2nd loop I was running alone until I heard some splashing steps approaching quickly. To my surprise it was Patrick Delait, one of the top local Dutch runners who I'm used to seeing disappear in front of me as a race progresses. My only thought was that he either fell early in the race or is coming back from an injury. I talked to him after the race and it turned out that he just didn't have the power in the legs. That probably explains why I was able to catch and pass him about 100 meters from the finish to place 7th overall. This race was again proof of my strength on hills and the lack of speed on the downhills. I would catch and outdo Patrick up the steepest hill only to get overtaken by him on the flat and downhill portion of the course.

Here are the results. Also, below is a video of the race (sorry, it's only in Dutch). You can see me (yellow singlet) and Patrick running up the hill at 1:35 into the video.

Severe winter weather

2010-12-02T21:30:00.014+01:00

Running conditions for the past few days have been harsh with temps in the teens/low-20s and the roads/trails covered in snow and ice. However, that didn't stop me from getting in my runs.....thanks to my La Sportiva Crosslite.

I got in a good strength run yesterday in the trails of the Brunssumerheide (Brunssum heathland) running a fartlek workout of 1' hard/easy. Note that I said strength and not speed, despite fartlek meaning "speed play". I did 12 x 1' on the snow-covered trails. I felt like I was running on sand, pushing hard but barely moving. Wearing the Crosslite made a huge difference though, because I would have been doing more skating than running had I not worn them. The workout turned out good and I felt like I gained some leg strength.

Today, I ran 15K at a moderate pace with my British co-worker Charlie, who recently placed 4th in the 30-34 age group division at the World Half-Ironman Championships in Clearwater, FL. We had a pretty good run, but in some areas it was a little too slippery. There was so much snow on the running trails and paths that we could not see where the patches of ice were. I'm hoping conditions will be better and not as slippery on Sunday.

First snow of the winter season

2010-11-29T21:57:00.005+01:00

Well, it looks as though winter is here.....and you know what that means....time to hibernate and feel miserable! Yeah Right! It's Cross Country time! A couple inches of snow fell today, so I had my first snow run of the winter season.

It was an easy 9 miles and I enjoyed every bit of it. However, I'm sure I won't be enjoying the rest of the running week as temperatures are forecasted to drop to the teens and running surfaces becoming slippery. I hope that I'll be able to get in a speed session tomorrow or Wednesday in preparation for Sunday's cross race (see upcoming races on right side bar).

Nov 22-28

2010-11-28T14:20:00.000+01:00

Mon: 9M easy
Tue: 9.4M easy
Wed: 9.4M including 20 x :30 w/ 1' easy
Thu: 9M moderate
Fri: 8.4 easy
Sat: 10M including 2 x 2M Tempo
Sun: 15M long run

Weekly Total: 70 miles on 7 runs/7 days
Good training week. Got in some speed play on Wed and a tempo run of 2 x 2M on Sat. I had planned to do 3 x 2M, but decided to cut it short because I felt like I was working harder than I should to maintain tempo pace, might have been the freezing temps. Long run this morning went very well. Despite freezing temps in the 20s, I was cruising at a comfortable steady pace on rolling terrain.

Inge

2010-11-23T21:20:00.006+01:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I ran the Zevenheuvelenloop (Seven Hills Run) "unofficially." I ran with a bib-number, but with no chip for official timing. (Does this mean I was a bandit runner?)

On Saturday morning I emailed my Dutch friend Fons and asked him whether there were any good cross-country races in the area for the weekend. He replied back stating that he had an extra bib-number for the Seven Hills Run in Nijmegen on Sunday. Our friend Inge decided not to run, so I would be able to use her bib. However, Fons and I agreed that I should not use the chip that came with the number as it would seem suspicious when it registered in the results (would have been 6th female overall using the chip under Inge's name). Two years ago I ran this same race using another runner's (Herman) bib-number and chip; however, unlike 2-yrs ago, we were not able to officially transfer the registration because we did not meet the transfer deadline.

The goal going into the race was to beat my time (51:26) from two years ago with the same tactic of going out conservative early on the hills and then picking up the pace as the race progressed. However, this time around I wanted to cross the 5K mark a few seconds faster, which I did with a 17:17 5K split, 7 seconds faster than in '08. On the steepest hill at 7K I caught up to Aussie Benita Willis (formerly Johnson) and a few other runners. My legs felt good, but the breathing started to get heavy and could even feel my pace begin to slow. This was evident with a positive 2nd 5K split of 17:28 and a slower 10K time (34:45), 12 seconds slower than in '08. After averaging 3:37/km (5:48 pace) for the 11th and 12th km, which included a couple small hills, I knew that a 15K PR was not within reach. Ruling out the PR I still made the effort to get under 52 minutes, which I did with a 3:13 last km. Below is my splits comparison for '08 and '10. Also, you can view some video clips of me here.

Seven Hills Run Splits

Year	5K	10K	15K
2008	17:24	34:33 (17:09)	51:26 (16:53)
2010	17:17	34:45 (17:28)	51:53 (17:08)

Btw, Leonard Komon of Kenya broke the 15K World Record running 41:13 and smashing the old mark by 16 seconds. Wow!!!

Nov 15-21

2010-11-21T21:36:00.003+01:00

Mon: 8.3M easy
Tue: 9.4M including 10 x 400 (76, 76, 76, 75, 75, 74, 75, 75, 73, 73)
Wed: 10.3M easy
Thu: 8.3M easy
Fri: 7M including 5 x 200 (36's)
Sat: 7.2M easy
Sun: Zevenheuvelenloop (Seven Hills Run) 15K - 51:53 "Unofficial"; 13M total

Weekly Total: 63.5 miles on 7 runs/7 days
Good week of running, which included an unplanned race today. I "unofficially" ran the Seven Hills Run 15K in Nijmegen today. I'll write about my race and how I was able to get a "bib number" in my next post.

Nov 8-14

2010-11-15T07:19:00.000+01:00

Mon: 9.3M easy
Tue: 9.3M easy
Wed: 9M including 4 sets of 2x200 w/ 200 rec + 1x400 w/ 400 rec
Thu: 10M easy
Fri: 8M easy
Sat: 9.4M including 3 x 2',1:30,1',:30 w/ -:30 rec
Sun: 13.7M easy

Weekly Total: 68.7 miles on 7 runs/7 days
It was my first normal week of running following post-marathon recovery. It seems that I haven't lost much of my aerobic fitness during the recovery phase because my easy runs are consistently around 6:55 pace. Wed and Sat were good workouts to get some of my leg-turnover back.

4-Week Post-Marathon Recovery

2010-11-14T17:50:00.001+01:00

Nov 1-7

Mon: 9.3M easy
Tue: 8M including 10 x 1' hard/easy
Wed: 9.3M easy
Thu: 5.5M very easy
Fri: DNR; 30' bike on spinner
Sat: 10M trail run
Sun: 14.5M steady run w/ last km in 3:40

Weekly Total: 56.3 miles on 6 runs/6 days
Post-marathon recovery complete.

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Oct 25-31

Mon: DNR; biked to/from work.
Tue: AM - 8M easy; PM - 4M very easy
Wed: AM - 7.5M including 10 x 200m w/ 200m rec; PM - 3.5M very easy
Thu: 8M easy
Fri: 9M progression run with miles 7-9 at 6:26 > 6:00 pace
Sat: DNR
Sun: 11.5M easy with last km in 3:28 (5:35 pace)

Weekly Total: 51 miles on 7 runs/5 days
Week 3 post-marathon recovery. Felt good to get in some leg-turnover.
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Oct 18-24

Mon: 5M easy
Tue: 6M easy
Wed: 6.5M including 10 x :30 w/ 1 easy;
Thu: DNR; 30' bike on spinner
Fri: 6M easy
Sat: 8M easy
Sun: 9.5M easy

Weekly Total: 41 mileson 6 runs/6 days
Week 2 post-marathon recovery. Pace for easy runs sort of back to normal. However, I felt some tenderness in the right shin, same area that was giving me problems the last 2 weeks before the marathon.

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Oct 11-17

Mon: DNR
Tue: DNR
Wed: DNR
Thu: 4M very slow and easy
Fri: 7M easy
Sat: 3M easy
Sun: 6M easy

Weekly Total: 20 miles on 4 runs/4 days
First week post-marathon. Legs sore in the first few days but gone by Thur. Legs felt heavy during the runs.

Marathon History

2010-11-14T12:20:00.000+01:00

Updated marathon results.

Marathon	Date	Time	Remarks
Marine Corps	10/26/03	2:53:22	1st marathon
Honolulu	12/14/03	3:09:38	ran for fun while visiting family in Hawaii
Boston	4/19/04	2:59:23	85 deg at start; 2nd hottest Boston
Houston	1/16/05	2:42:14	negative splits: 1:21:11 & 1:21:03
Marine Corps	10/30/05	2:41:15	splits: 1:20:16 & 1:20:59
Austin	2/19/06	2:38:16	negative splits: 1:19:17 & 1:18:59
Rocket City	12/09/06	2:39:21	splits: 1:18:29 & 1:20:52
Grandmas	06/21/08	2:54:08	came off an 8-wk ITBS and 4-5 wks of easy running
Amsterdam	10/19/08	2:35:37	new PR; splits: 1:17:34 & 1:18:03
Hamburg	04/26/09	2:34:33	new Guam national record & PR; splits: 1:17:16 & 1:17:17
Berlin	09/20/09	2:34:06	new PR; splits: 1:16:20 & 1:17:46
Marine Corps	10/25/09	2:41:33	splits: 1:17:16 & 1:24:17; 2nd marathon in 5 wks and 4th in a year's period (Oct 08-09);
Rotterdam	04/11/10	2:35:46	1:17:04 & 1:18:42
Munich	10/10/10	2:33:50	new PR; splits: 1:16:46 & 1:17:04

Munich Marathon - 9th Place Overall

2010-10-10T23:01:00.000+02:00

2:33:50 for 9th place overall. It was a PR by 16 seconds. Lost some time and the sub-2:33 in the last 5K.....bummer!!! Splits below and results here. My friend Boris had an awesome race running 2:27:33 for 4th place overall.

Split	Zeit	Diff	min/km	km/h
5 km	00:18:00	18:00	03:36	16.68
10 km	00:36:15	18:15	03:40	16.43
Halb	01:16:46	40:31	03:40	16.43
30 km	01:48:43	31:57	03:36	16.72
Netto	02:33:50	45:07	03:43	16.21

Munich Marathon 2010 Training Log

2010-10-09T17:20:00.002+02:00

Here is my training log from the start of my marathon training for Munich Marathon.

Oct 4-10

Mon: 9M easy

Tue: 8M including 4 x 1200m w/ 400m rec; 3:49, 3:50, 3:49, 3:46

Wed: 7M easy

Thu: 6M easy

Fri: DNR; rest and travel day

Sat: 4.3M including 1K at MP

Sun: Munich Marathon - 2:33:50, 9th Place Overall

Weekly Total: 61 miles

Bittersweet!!! I'm not going to lie, I had a successful race, but I'm a little disappointed with my finishing time. I know I was fit to run a minute faster (2:32). But what can you say, it's a marathon and anything can happen (that's the beauty of the distance). I wanted to go through the half in the low-1:16s (went thru in 1:16:46) - the slightly gradual incline of the English Garden caused me some seconds. From 25K - 35K I really got going and was running km splits of 3:32-3:35 (5:41 - 5:46 pace), but most importantly, I was feeling good. However, from 38K to 42K my legs refused to run any faster than 3:40-3:44/km (5:54 - 6:00 pace) and had to settle for a 2:33. A lesson learned in this race, along with my previous two marathons (Rotterdam and Berlin) is that there's no doubt I have to work on finishing the last 5K of the marathon stronger. I'm always losing valuable seconds in the late part of the race.

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Sep 27 - Oct 3

Mon: AM - 5.1M easy; PM - 7M easy (12.1 tot)

Tue: AM - 4M including 2M in 10:36 (5:18 pace) as part of Army Physical Fitness Test which included 116 Pushups and 95 Situps;

PM - 8M including 4 x 1K w/ 400m recovery; 3:14, 3:10, 3:12, 3:12 (12 tot)

Wed: 7M easy

Thu: 14.3M including 15K total at MP; 4K warm-up + 8K in 28:41 (5:46 pace or 3:35/km) + 1K easy + 7K in 25:00 (5:45 pace or 3:34/km) + 3K cool-down

Fri: 6.2M easy

Sat: DNR; giving legs a rest as I was feeling some pain on the right leg (shin area)

Sun: 13.4M steady medium long run; 6:46 pace

Weekly Total: 65 miles

Taper week. Did not run the planned 8 x 1K on Tuesday night because of a physical fitness test in the morning. Felt good on my marathon pace run on Thursday; however, it was probably about 2-3 seconds per mile too fast for MP. I took my first rest day on Saturday for this marathon training cycle. My right leg (shin) was in pain. Been feeling a little tender in the area during the week, but the first time with a lot of pain. I'm not too much about it.

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Sep 20-26

Mon: AM - 9M easy; PM - 6M easy (15 tot)
Tue: AM - 6.3M easy; PM - 6.1M (12.4 tot)
Wed: AM - 2M easy, core exercise; PM - 14M including 12-10-8-6-4-6 min. at 5:38 > 5:20 pace (3:30 > 3:20/km) w/ 3' easy (16 tot)
Thu: 19M long run; 6:53 pace
Fri: 6.6M easy
Sat: 14M including 15K tempo in 53:30 (5:44 pace / 3:34)
Sun: 15M steady medium long run; 6:47 pace

Weekly Total: 98 miles

After two easy days of running following last week's half-marathon race, I got in consecutive key workouts consisting of cruise intervals and a long run the following day. The 19-miler on Thu was my last "long" run. Fri was a recovery day and Sat's 15K tempo was a success. I will now begin my taper/peak phase.

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Sep 13 - 19

Mon: AM - 8.7M easy; PM - 6.3M easy (15 tot)
Tue: AM - 6M easy; PM - 16M including 7 x 2K w/ 4' rec; 6:35, 6:34, 6:33, 6:31, 6:31, 6:30 (22 tot)
Wed: AM - 6.5M easy; PM - 6.5M easy (13 tot)
Thu: 10.3M easy
Fri: AM - 9M easy; PM - 5.6M easy (14.6 tot)
Sat: 8.7M including 1K @ tempo pace for race tune-up
Sun: Hoogland Half-Marathon - 1:14:08; 1st Overall, very windy (17 tot)

Weekly Total: 100 miles

Excellent week of training that concluded with a half-marathon win for me and my girlfriend. I was looking to PR at around 1:12 for the half, but strong winds from 8-13K ruled it out. The great thing is that I felt stronger as the race went on. Read the race report here. Also, it's a great feeling that I still ran a good race with 80+ miles in the legs prior to the race. Tuesday's 7x2K was a tough but very successful workout. I've never done that many 2K's for training. I felt better in this workout than the one I did 2 wks ago, which was only 5 repeats of 2K.

-------------------------------------------------

Sep 6 - 12

Mon: 10.6M easy

Tue: AM - 6.6M easy; PM - 13.5M including 5 x 2K w/ 3' rec; 6:35, 6:34, 6:32, 6:33, 6:29 (20.1 tot)

Wed: 15M med long run

Thu: AM - 5.3M easy, PM - 12M including 20 x 100m Ins&Outs (17.3 tot)

Fri: AM - 11.8M easy; PM - 5.6M easy (17.4 tot)

Sat: 14.6M including 12K tempo in 42:32; 5:42 pace - 3:32/km

Sun: 22.5M long run; 6:42 pace

Weekly Total: 117 miles

Good week of quality and quantity. Surprisingly felt good on the 2:30 long run following a tempo run. Nice to have the mileage up after a down week.

-------------------------------------------------

Aug 30 - Sep 05

Mon: AM - 6.2M easy; PM - 6.2M easy (12.4 tot)

Tue: AM - 10M easy; PM - 7M easy (17 tot)

Wed: 15.5M including 12-10-8-6-4-6 min marathon specific at 5:38 > 5:20 pace (3:30 > 3:20/km) w/ 3' easy

Thu: 13M easy

Fri: 7.5M easy

Sat: AM - 3.7M shakeout run; PM - Jesolo RUN 10K - 33:15 PR (16:55, 16:20), 6th Overall (12.4 tot)

Sun: 21M long run; 7:00 pace

Weekly Total: 98.8 miles

A down week as I'm on vacation in Venice with Lisa. It was my first week under 100 miles, as well as my first race since Rotterdam marathon. Felt great to finally race again. I definitely knew I would run a PR, but I think I was a bit too conservative in the 1st half of the race, probably from a lack of racing.

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Aug 23 - 29

Mon: AM - 5.6M easy; PM - 10.4M easy (16 tot)8

Tue: AM - 2.5M very easy; PM - 11.5M including 15 x 400m w/ 200m rec; (72, 72, 72, 72, 72, 73, 72, 72, 72, 71, 72, 71, 72, 71, 70, 69 (14 tot)

Wed: 15M medium long run

Thu: AM - 4.3M easy; PM - 14.5M including 4 x 3K w/ 4' rec; (10:08, 10:14, 10:11: 10:09)

Fri: AM - 5.4M easy; PM - 10.8M easy

Sat: 15.6M including 15K tempo in 53:31; 5:44 pace - 3:34;km

Sun: 26.4M (3 hrs) long run; 6:48 pace

Weekly Total: 122 miles

What a week!!! probably my best training week, both quality and quantity. felt tired on Mon, but good on all the other days. Tue's track session was excellent, 3K cruise intervals on Thu went well, Sat's 15K tempo felt great, and Sun I was really shocked at how good the legs and body felt in the 3 hour long run (covered the marathon in 2:58:34 :)

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Aug 23 - 29

Mon: AM - 6.9M easy; PM - 10.6M easy (17.5 tot)

Tue: AM - 8.5M easy; PM - 8.7M easy (17.2 tot)

Wed: AM - 4.5M easy; PM - 15.5M including 12-10-8-6-4-6 min. marathon specific at 5:38 > 5:20 pace (3:30 > 3:20/km) w/ 3' easy (20 tot)

Thu: 14.3M medium long run

Fri: AM - 5.3M easy; PM - 13M including 4 x 1K, 3 x 2K alternating w/ 3' rec; (3:16, 6:54, 3:17, 6:52, 3:26, 6:56, 3:18); tough workout (18.3 tot)

Sat: AM - 8.8M easy; PM - 5.2M easy (14 tot)

Sun: 20M long run; 6:45 pace

Weekly Total: 121 miles

I questioned my friend Jurgen, who did up my marathon training program, about this week being a recovery week with the high mileage. He stated that it is a recovery week quality wise. It was a good week nonetheless and the legs are handling the high mileage very well.

-------------------------------------------------

Aug 9 - 15

Mon: AM - 10M easy; PM - 5.6M easy (15.6 tot)

Tue: AM - 5M easy; PM - 12M including 20 x 400m w/ 200m rec; 73, 73, 73, 74, 73, 73, 72, 73, 72, 73, 72, 72, 72, 73, 71, 71, 70, 72, 71, 68 (17 tot)

Wed: 14M easy

Thu: AM - 5.4M; PM - 14.3M including 15 x 1K alternating 3:20 / 3:50 per km (5:22 / 6:10 pace); splits: 3:55, 3:24, 4:00, 3:20, 4:06, 3:18, 4:03, 3:16, 4:06, 3:12, 4:11, 3:15, 4:05, 3:14, 3:52; (19.7 tot)

Fri: AM - 5.5M easy; PM - 11.3M (16.8 tot)

Sat: 15.5M including 15K tempo in 53:59; 5:48 pace - 3:36 /km)

Sun: 17.4M long run; 6:56 pace

Weekly Total: 116 miles

Could not believe I did 20 repeats of 400s. Felt better and stronger than last Tue's workout when I did only 15 repeats. Thursday workout of alternating 1Ks at 3:20 / 3:50 (5:22 / 6:10 pace) was tough. Never really hit the slower/recovery part of the 1Ks, I was always slower. Good 15K tempo run on Sat.

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Aug 2 - 8

Mon: AM - 6.1M easy; PM - 6.1M easy (12.2 tot)

Tue: 11.8M including 15 x 400m w/ 200m rec; 72, 73, 74, 75, 75, 73, 75, 74, 73, 73, 73, 73, 73, 73, 73

Wed: 13.7M medium long run

Thu: AM - 4.5M; PM - 13.5M including 10 x 1K w/ 400 rec (3:14, 3:18, 3:18, 3:15, 3:14, 3:16, 3:14, 3:14, 3:13, 3:11 (18 tot)

Fri: AM - 11M easy; PM - 6.1M (17.1 tot)

Sat: AM - 12M progression run; started at 6:58 pace and progressed to 5:38 pace; decreased the pace by 16 seconds every 3K (~1.9 miles); PM - 5M easy (17 tot)

Sun: 19.5M long run; 7:01 pace

Weekly Total: 109 miles

First week of marathon focus training for Munich marathon on 10 Oct. Training under my German friend's marathon training program. Highest weekly mileage. Both Tue and Thu's workout were mentally and physically tough. Never did that many 400s and 1K repeats.

Half-Marathon Race

2010-09-20T23:32:00.001+02:00

Yesterday, I ran the Saucony Halve van Hoogland half-marathon as my tune-up for Munich. It was only my 3rd race of the year (Rotterdam marathon in April and a 10K a few weeks ago being the other two). I won the race, but even more exciting, my girlfriend who is visiting also came in 1st. I went into the race confident that I'll PR based on my training. Unfortunately, strong winds (13mph) from 8K to 13K ruled out a PR. I was still happy with the win despite only running a 1:14:08.

The race was pretty close for the first 3/4 of the race. Me and a Dutch runner practically ran stride for stride up to 15K. We clicked off kilometers splits of 3:25 - 3:30 (5:30 - 5:38 pace) for the first 8Ks until we turned a corner and ran straight into 13mph headwinds through open farmland. The next 5K (9-13K) was the toughest part of the race. We went from running 5:30ish pace to 5:45-6:00 pace. After leaving the open farmland at 13K we were finally back to running 5:30ish pace (14 & 15K were 3:29/km - 5:36 pace). At the 15K mark I was still feeling very good and decided to push the pace. For the next 3Ks (16-18K) I ran 3:25, 3:24 and 3:23 (5:30-5:27 pace) and easily dropped the Dutch runner. I knew I had a great chance at winning with only a couple more miles to go and still feeling strong. I made sure the win was in the bag with a 3:22 (5:25 pace) last km. The race was a big confidence booster leading into Munich, especially that I felt strong the entire race with 80+ miles in the legs pre-race. Results here.

Update

2010-09-18T19:10:00.000+02:00

I did not quit blogging, I just took a break after the Rotterdam marathon as I wasn't motivated to blog after a disappointing race.

To bring you up-to-update, I took a short break from running after the Rotterdam marathon, did base mileage during the summer, and then started marathon training in late July for the Munich Marathon (10-Oct). I've been training with my German running friends Jürgen and Boris, both will also be running Munich. I will post the last 8 weeks of marathon training in the next few posts. Brief highlights include a high level of training, both quality and quantity (5 wks well over 100 miles), and a 10K PR (33:15) two weeks ago - the only race I've done since Rotterdam. I'll be running a half-marathon tomorrow as my marathon tune-up race.

Rotterdam Marathon - 2:35:46

2010-04-12T13:29:00.006+02:00

Ran 2:35:46 (clock time: 2:35:58) for 73rd place overall. Race report to follow soon.

Race tomorrow

2010-04-10T10:48:00.000+02:00

I feel that I've prepared myself very well for tomorrow's Rotterdam Marathon. Now it's just a matter of execution and running a smart race. The temperature looks to be good, chilly in the low 40's and sunny. However, I'm a bit concerned of the winds, forecasted to be around 12-14mph. I know I should stop worrying about it because there's nothing anyone could do about it. The fact is runners train very hard and sacrifice a lot for one big race, but then they encounter things they have no control of. I guess that's just reality and life. :-) For now, I'm hoping there'll be a decent group running my pace so we can work together and draft off each other.

What's my goal?.....to run fast, smart and under my PR.....and have fun of course! Wish me luck!

Here's this week's training, or shall I say tapering, leading up to Rotterdam.

5-11 Apr

Mon: 8.3M easy w/ 5 strides
Tue: 10M including 5 x 2K (7:09, 7:09, 7:06, 7:08)
Wed: 6M easy w/ 4 strides
Thu: 4M easy w/ 4 strides
Fri: 2.5M easy
Sat: 3.5M easy w/ 4 strides

Weekly Total (pre-race): 34 miles

22 Mar - 4 Apr; One Week till Rotterdam

2010-04-04T22:56:00.003+02:00

Just one week remains till I toe the line at the Rotterdam Marathon. I feel well-prepared and confident that I put in the mileage and hard training. My legs are already beginning to feel light from the decrease in overall weekly mileage the past week.

22 - 28 Mar

Mon: AM - 6M easy; PM - 6M easy
Tues: 11M including 10K tempo run in 35:15 (3:32/km, 5:40 pace)
Wed: AM - 6M easy; PM - 6M easy
Thur: 10M easy with 6 x strides
Fri: 12M including 3 x 2K (6:40, 6:42, 6:53) + 2 x 1K (3:14, 3:11); felt tired
Sat: 9M easy
Sun: 20M with 10K at MP; had planned to run the last 8 miles at MP, but too windy (~25mph)

Weekly Total: 86 miles

-----------------------------------------------------

29 Mar - 4 Apr

Mon: 7M easy
Tues: 10M including 5 x 1200 (3:57, 3:54, 3:56, 3:53, & 3:54)
Wed: 12M easy
Thur: 8M easy
Fri: 13M including 2 x 4M at MP; 1st: 23:12 (3:38/km, 5:50 pace), 2nd: 22:58 (3:35/km, 5:46 pace)
Sat: 6.5M easy
Sun: 13.5 with last 3.5 miles moderate

Weekly Total: 70 miles

Last 2 weeks of training

2010-03-22T20:47:00.002+01:00

Here's a brief summary of the last 2 weeks of training.

8 - 14 Mar

Mon: 7M easy
Tues: 6M easy
Wed: 7M including 4 x 1K (3:10, 3:10, 3:07, & 3:08)
Thur: 6M easy
Fri: 5M easy with 5 strides
Sat: 4M easy
Sun: CPC Loop Den Haag Half-Marathon in 1:13:17 (5k - 17:26, 10k - 34:54 (17:28), 15k - 52:24 (17:30))

Weekly Total: 49 miles

This was a very low mileage week as I tried to taper and freshen up the legs for the CPC Loop Den Haag Half-Marathon. There's no doubt the legs needed it because I had put in 486 miles over the previous 5 weeks (avg. of 97 mi/wk). I ran a new personal best in the half-marathon (1:13:17) by 22 seconds in very windy conditions. Was aiming for a sub-1:13, but I'll use the wind as an excuse. ;-) Regardless, I'm very pleased with a new PR, overall race performance and my fitness leading to Rotterdam. You can check out my video clips here.

--------------------------------------------------

15 - 21 Mar

Mon: 12.2M easy
Tues: AM - 6M easy; PM - 5M easy
Wed: 8.2M easy
Thur: AM - 6M easy; PM - 6M easy with 5 strides
Fri: 12.6M including 3 x 3K (10:02, 9:59, 9:58)
Sat: 11M easy
Sun: 24.7M (16M easy followed by 10K race (36:03) at MP, then 2.5M cooldown)

Weekly Total: 91.7 miles

Following the half-marathon on Sunday I did easy running from Mon-Thur to recover from the race. The calves and quad were a little sore early in the week, but they were ready for Friday's workout, 3 x 3K. I did this same 3K workout three weeks ago; surprisingly, I was 5-6 seconds per km faster on this day.
On Sunday, I did a key long run with marathon pace. I ran 16 miles from my house in the Netherlands to a 10K race just over the border in Germany. My plan and timing was perfect because I arrived at the race with just enough time to pin on my bib-number and do a few strides. I ran the race as planned, running marathon pace and aiming for km splits of around 3:38. I ran the 10K in 36:03 (3:36/km or 5:48 pace) and finished in 4th place overall.

23 miles with 4 at MP

2010-03-07T20:22:00.003+01:00

Ran 23 miles with 4 miles (18-21) at marathon pace. It was my 5th 20+miler in as many weeks and the best one I've had so far. I ran the first 17 miles comfortably in 1:58:50 (6:59 pace) ending up at a small pond in the nearby city of Sittard. I then ran laps around the pond at marathon pace, or what I thought felt like MP. I ran miles 18-21 in 5:44, 5:44, 5:50 and 5:56. I forced myself to slow down after hitting both miles 18 and 19 at 5:44, a bit too quick and definitely not my planned MP. Mile 20 was 5:50 and 21 at 5:56.

The run put me at 100 miles for the 3rd consecutive week. This coming week will be a down-week, in terms of mileage, as I'll freshen up the legs for next Sunday's half-marathon. It also works out perfectly because I'll be working long hours at work.

1-7 Mar

Mon: AM - 10M easy; PM - 4M easy
Tues: AM - 3M very easy; PM 13.5M including 15K tempo at MP (15K - 54:22; 5:50 pace)
Wed: AM - 3M very easy; PM - 9M easy
Thur: 10.5M easy
Fri: 13M including 4 x 2K (6:39, 6:40, 6:38, 6:37)
Sat: 11M easy
Sun: 23M with 4 miles (18-21) at MP

Weekly Total: 100 miles

The importance of pacing

2010-03-06T09:54:00.002+01:00

Ran 4 x 2K intervals last night at the track in 6:39, 6:40, 6:38, and 6:37. In the first two repeats my pacing was a little inconsistent in the early lap(s). I'd go through the first lap in 76 seconds, slow down (not intentionally) in the 2nd lap to about 82 seconds and then hold the remaining 3 laps at 80 seconds for a 6:39-6:40 2K. I decided to approach the last two intervals differently and force an 80 second first lap, realizing that running the first lap a few seconds faster wasn't doing much to the overall 2K time and probably just making myself tired faster. Amazingly, I was dead on at 80 second laps for 1600 meters (5:20) and felt like I had still had some fuel left in the tank in the last 400, so I pushed on and finished strong. I ran 78 and 76 seconds respectively for the last lap of the last 2K repeats.

This goes to show how important pacing is and that running 1-3 seconds too fast early on makes a huge difference. For proof, take a look at the below marathon splits analysis of my Hamburg and Berlin marathon. I hope to apply the lessons learned and run a much smarter race, similar to Hamburg, at Rotterdam.

Easy running

2010-03-03T21:20:00.001+01:00

12 miles easy in two runs today. Ran a very slow 3 miles in the morning to loosen up the legs before work, and then 9 miles in the Brunssumerheide during my lunch hour. The legs felt tired in the early miles of the 2nd run, but much better as time went on.

Tomorrow will be another easy run of about 10-12 miles and then a track workout of 4x2K on Friday.

If you haven't noticed yet, I added the City-Pier-City Half Marathon (14 Mar) to the list of upcoming races on the right. This is the race where Samuel Wanjiru (2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon) broke the world record in the half marathon when he was only 18 years old.

15k Tempo

2010-03-02T23:42:00.000+01:00

Ran a 15K tempo run on the track (37.5 laps) at approximately marathon pace (~3:38/km or 5:51 pace). I took my split times at each mile (1600m to be exact). Thinking about it now, I should have split my watch at each kilometer since that is what will be marked in Rotterdam, just like in any other European marathon. I did take a glance at each km of the mile though. I ran the 15K (9.3 miles) tempo in 54:22 (3:37/km or 5:50 pace). The cardio felt very controlled and comfortable, but the legs were heavy by the end of the run.

Splits for the run were:

5:53
5:48
5:49
5:49
5:49
5:49
5:45
5:46
5:46
2:08
------
54:22 (15k or 9.3M)

Running through a storm

2010-02-28T22:20:00.005+01:00

A storm hit western Europe, mainly France, earlier today causing the Netherlands to experience what the news said were hurricane-strength winds. In my opinion, the winds were not even close to hurricane-strength (comparing it with the typhoons I’ve been through in Guam). However, the winds were definitely strong enough to make it a runner’s worst enemy.

I ran a route where I would experience most of the headwinds during the first half of the run. Well, it didn’t matter because it seemed like there was always a headwind. At one point I was running forward and sideways (if that makes sense) just to stay on my feet and prevent myself from being blown away. I found out afterwards that the winds were about 30-35mph. The last 2 miles of the run were at marathon pace (MP). It was a good long run which capped off the week at 101 miles.

22 – 28 Feb

Mon: AM – 6M easy; PM – 7M easy
Tues: AM – 5M easy; PM – 11.5M including 10K tempo in 35:23
Wed: AM – 6M easy; PM – 9M easy
Thur: AM – 5M easy; PM – 8M easy
Fri: 13M including 3 x 3K in 10:19, 10:17, & 10:16
Sat: 10M easy
Sun: 21M with last 2 miles at goal MP (5:50 pace)

Weekly Total: 101 miles

3K intervals

2010-02-26T23:48:00.000+01:00

I had a successful workout on the track tonight in windy and wet conditions. After a couple miles warm-up and some strides, I tackled the long interval workout of 3 x 3K aiming for a time of 10:15 (3:25/km or 5:30 pace). I ended up running 10:19, 10:17, and 10:16, which I was very satisfied with considering the windy conditions. The workout put me at 70 miles in 5 days. An easy 10 tomorrow and 21 on Sunday will wrap up another 100-mile week.

Tired legs

2010-02-25T22:34:00.002+01:00

The legs have been feeling like bricks with all the mileage in them lately; 97 miles two weeks ago, 100 last week and another 100 by the end of the week. On Tuesday I did a 10k tempo run on the track. Despite the fatigue in the legs I managed to put in a good workout with the right effort and pace. Ran the 10k comfortably in 35:23 averaging 5:42 pace or 3:32/km. Tomorrow will be a long interval workout of 3 x 3km. I'm hoping the legs will be up for the task.

15 - 21 Feb

2010-02-22T21:47:00.000+01:00

Mon: 12M easy
Tues: Noon - 11M including 8M at 6:00 pace (47:58); PM - 6M easy
Wed: Noon - 9M easy; PM - 5M easy
Thur: Noon - 9M easy; PM - 4M easy
Fri: 13M including 6 x 1K (3:12, 3:14, 3:11, 3:13, 3:12, 3:12)
Sat: 10M easy
Sun: 21M steady with 1 mile (19th) at MP

Weekly Total: 100 miles

8-14 Feb

2010-02-16T22:54:00.001+01:00

It was a good last week of training despite the less than ideal running conditions (freezing temperatures and lots of snow). Got in two quality workouts and a steady long run.

Mon: Noon - 10.5M easy; PM - 4M very easy
Tues: Noon - 11M including 2 x 1K + 1 x 600 + 3 x 800; very cold; PM - 5.5M easy
Wed: 10M easy
Thur: Noon - 10.6M with 5M tempo; PM - 5.4 very easy
Fri: 10M easy
Sat: 10M easy
Sun: 20M steady easy

Weekly Total: 97 miles

I'm still here

2010-02-07T18:25:00.002+01:00

After 3 weeks of vacation and doing a lot of traveling around Europe (Spain, France, Italy) with my girlfriend, I'm now ready to get back into the blogosphere. Below is the last 4 weeks of training.

BTW, next big race will be Rotterdam Marathon on 11 April.

1 - 7 Feb

Mon: DNR; was not able to get in a run because of work.
Tues: Noon - 10M including 8 x 2' hard w/ 1' easy; PM - 6.2M very easy
Wed: Noon - 10M easy; PM - 6.2M very easy
Thur: Noon - 10M including 2 x 2M at tempo pace w/ 5' easy in between; PM - 6.2M very easy
Fri: 10M easy; core
Sat: 10M easy w/ 5 strides
Sun: 20.1M including 2 x 2M @ MP (11:44, 11:38) an hour into the run

Weekly Total: 88.7 miles

--------------------------------------------------

25 - 31 Jan

Mon: AM - 6.2M easy; PM - 6.1M easy
Tues: AM - 13.1M including fartlek (4 x 4' + 3 x 3' + 2 x 2' + 1 x 1' w/ -1' easy for rec); PM - 4.2M very easy
Wed: 10.2M easy
Thur: ~10+M very easy; running to different sites in Rome, Italy
Fri: ~8+M very easy; Day 2 of running around Rome
Sat: 9.2M easy
Sun: 14M steady

Weekly Total: 81 miles

--------------------------------------------------

18 - 24 Jan

Mon: Stopped after a 1/2 mile; bad cramp and tightness in right calf
Tues: DNR; giving the right calf a little more recovery
Wed: 11.7M with the last 8 miles steady around 6:20-:30 pace
Thur: AM - 10M easy; PM - 7M easy
Fri: AM - 7.1M including 10 x 1' hard/easy; PM - 9M easy
Sat: 5M easy; road trip to Paris
Sun: 14M easy

Weekly Total: 64+ miles

--------------------------------------------------

11 - 17 Jan

Mon: 9M easy
Tues: AM - 4.5M easy; PM - 7M easy; lots of snow
Wed: 6.2M easy
Thur: 10.6M including fartlek of 5-4-3-2-1 w/ -1' easy
Fri: 16.2M easy w/ 2 miles at 6:10 pace
Sat: 11M easy
Sun: DNR; travel to Spain

Weekly Total: 64.5 miles

28 Dec - 3 Jan

2010-01-03T22:38:00.000+01:00

A good amount of snow fell overnight which made for a nice scenic long run. I ran mostly on snow-free streets and bike paths, thanks to the early morning snow-plowing crew. In some areas, such as the tractor trails between farmlands, I could not avoid running on snow. I actually didn't mind it though because it felt like low-impact running.
Here's last week's training.

28 Dec - 3 Jan

Mon: 8.5M easy
Tues: 9M including 6 x :30 w/ 1' easy
Wed: 5.5M easy
Thur: 8K race in 27:00; 10M total
Fri: 10.7M easy
Sat: 10.3M easy with core
Sun: 16M easy

Weekly Total: 70 miles

Silvesterlauf Trier - Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T22:23:00.004+01:00

What better way to wrap up the last day of the 2009 running year than to be running and spending time with Haile Gebrsellasie. Yesterday, I ran the Silvesterlauf (New Year's Eve race) in Trier, Germany with friends Jurgen and Boris. Haile Gebrsellasie ran the 8K race as his final tune-up for the Dubai Marathon on January 22. I was amazed to be standing within a couple feet and toeing the starting line with the marathon world record holder.

The goal for the race was to break 27 minutes and not get lapped by Haile twice. Okay, sub-27 minutes for 8k was more than realistic, but there was no way Haile was overlapping me twice in an 8K race with 1K loops. My race went fairly well and I had a ton of fun, but I was a bit disappointed with my finish time as I ran 27:00 flat. I clicked off 3:20 laps and went through 5K in 16:42 (5:23 pace). Approximately 200 meters into the 6th lap, I heard the already deafening noise of thousands of spectators get even louder. Moments later Haile came flying by me like a cheetah chasing down its prey. Watching Haile run was poetry in motion. After the race, Boris and I bragged to Jurgen that we were running in front of Haile, which is true except that he was on his 7th lap and we were on our 6th. My goal of running sub-27 was lost in the 7th lap as I let up a little. I might have let up a little too much, because I found myself sprinting the last 100 meters as the clocked ticked away.

The race was a lot of fun, but post-race was even more exhilarating. My friends and I attended the invitation-only post-race party, where we got to hang out and dine with Haile and other elites like Kenyan Shadrack Lagat (2nd place and 1996 Junior World Champion in 1500m) and German Irina Mikitenko (2:19 Marathoner and Winner of the 2007-2008 World Marathon Majors).

Silvesterlauf Trier was my 3rd race in 2 weeks. Despite that being two races more than I'd normally do in a 2-weeks period, I'm quite happy with the way they all had gone. The most important thing is that I gained some fitness running these races. As of right now, I have yet to decide on my first race of 2010. HAPPY NEW YEAR and may 2010 bring you some new PRs.

Christmas Cross / 21-27 Dec

2009-12-27T21:08:00.004+01:00

Celebrating Boxing Day or what is more commonly known as the 2nd Christmas Day in the Netherlands, I opted to run Kerstcross (Christmas Cross 10K) with my German training partners, Jurgen and Boris. I intended to run the cross country race as a tempo training run and not at full race effort, because only by Friday I felt that I had recovered from Mescherbergloop.

The race was held in the Brunssumerhiede, which is where Jurgen and I put in most of our runs during the work week. The course consisted of 2 small loops and 2 large loops. When the gun went off I immediately found myself in about 15th place. I held back in the first small loop knowing how difficult the course was, and that I'll slowly reel in runners as the race progressed. I picked off a couple runners on the 2nd loop, but it was the 3rd loop (1st large loop) in which I caught and overtook many runners, mostly on the hills. On the 4th and final loop I saw the yellow shirt of Dutchman Roger Rousseau and my German friend Boris. I realized that I had been running fairly good when finally I had these guys in sight. Unfortunately, their lead on me increased over the last mile as they were battling for 3rd place. I finished in 5th overall with a time of 36:53, which is irrelevant in a tough course like this one. All in all, it was a good and fun day for our training group as Jurgen, Boris and I took 1st, 3rd and 5th place overall, respectively.

Next race on the schedule is the New Year's Eve 8K race (Trier Silvesterlauf) in Trier, Germany. I will be pacing Haile Gebrselassie through the first 50 meters of the race.

-------------------------------------

21-27 Dec

Mon: 9.2M easy; sore quads - ouch!

Tues: 8.5M easy; still sore

Wed: 9.5M easy; still a bit sore

Thur: 10M easy

Fri: 10M easy

Sat: Kerstcross 10K - 36:53 5th place; 10.5 miles total

Sun: 14.8M easy

Weekly Total: 72.5 miles

Pre-race coverage of Haile Gebrselassie at the 2009 Berlin Marathon

2009-12-26T22:37:00.007+01:00

Watch the pre-race video clips of Haile if you have some spare time. Some great insights of special instructions to his pace makers, what Haile eats the morning of raceday, etc. There are many clips (click on Menu or let it automatically run into the next clip).

Haile pre-race coverage at 2009 Berlin Marathon

14 - 20 Dec

2009-12-23T22:12:00.005+01:00

On Sunday I did a trail/XC race (Mescherbergloop 15K) in the snow, which was a first and by far the most difficult and fun race of the year. It's the same race I did last year in which I wore road racing shoes on the muddy course. I certainly did not make the same mistake. This time around I wore the La Sportiva Crosslite, which I highly suggest if you're looking for a lightweight trail or XC shoe that gives excellent traction.

The course itself was grueling with lots of steep uphills and downhills, uneven surfaces (plowed farmlands) and 180 wooden stairs to climb. Throw in the snow and you could only imagine how difficult the run was. I ended up running 5 minutes slower (1:01:50) than I did last year (56:41) and placed 9th overall in what was a very strong field of runners. The race got the best of my quads and now I'm spending these next few days doing easy running to recover.

Here's the training summary for the week of 14-20 Dec.

Mon: 10M easy

Tues: Noon - 5M easy; PM - 9M including 15 x 300 w/ 100 rec.

Wed: 10M easy

Thur: 10M easy

Fri: 9M with the last mile at half-marathon effort

Sat: 7M easy

Sun: 15K trail/XC race in the snow; 13M total

Weekly Total: 73 miles

7 - 13 Dec

2009-12-13T16:25:00.051+01:00

Check out this running clip. I'm not sure if that's his normal running form, if he was suffering (sure looks like), or if he was psyching himself out. All I can say is that's some unique running style. A 2:16 marathoner....maybe we should give it a try.

7-13 Dec

Mon: Noon - 5M easy; PM - 5M easy
Tues: 9M including track workout 4x200 + 2x400 + 1x800 + 2x400 + 4x200 w/ same distance for recovery
Wed: 9M easy
Thur: 9M easy
Fri: 10M including 2M tempo + 1M easy + 1M tempo.
Sat: 9M easy
Sun: 16M steady easy including 10 x :30 @ ~5k pace w/ 1' easy

Weekly Total: 72 miles

30 Nov - 6 Dec

2009-12-06T21:39:00.001+01:00

Congrats to friend and fellow All-Army runner Kenny Foster, who ran 2:23:04 at the California International Marathon. It was a 7-minute PR for Kenny. Wow!!!

Good week of training. Still working on the base fitness.

30 Nov - 6 Dec

Mon: 8.5M easy
Tues: 9M including 1600 (5:19), 1400 (4:37), 1200 (3:51), 1000 (3:11)
Wed: 9M easy
Thur: 9.5M including 2.5 miles at tempo effort
Fri: Noon - 3.75M easy; PM - 7.25M easy
Sat: 9M easy
Sun: 15.5M steady easy

Weekly Total: 71.5 miles

23 - 29 Nov

2009-12-01T22:10:00.002+01:00

Here's last week of training.

Mon: 8.2M easy
Tues: 8.3M easy
Wed: 10M including 6 x (2 x 200 w/200 rec + 1 x 400 w/ 400 rec)
Thur: 9M easy
Fri: 10M including 4 miles at tempo effort; very windy
Sat: 8.5M easy
Sun: 15M steady easy

Weekly Total: 69 miles

Building some speed

2009-11-25T22:00:00.000+01:00

Good track session tonight, my first one in about 6 weeks. Trying to build some speed and leg-turnover, so I did 200s and 400s. The workout was 6 sets of 2 x 200 + 1 x 400 with 200 recovery and 400 recovery between sets.

200 / 200 / 400
:34 / :37 / 1:14
:36 / :36 / 1:13
:35 / :34 / 1:13
:35 / :34 / 1:12
:34 / :35 / 1:10
:33 / :33 / 1:11

Today: 10M including 6 sets of 2 x 200 + 1 x 400
Tues: 8.3M easy
Mon: 8.2M easy

16-22 Nov

2009-11-22T20:21:00.000+01:00

The aerobic fitness is coming back quickly. This week I put in at least an hour long of running each day. All runs were at an easy pace with a few strides and a fast-finish to get some turnover in the legs.

16-22 Nov

Mon: 8M @ 7:03 pace
Tues: 9M including 10 x :30 w/ 1' easy
Wed: 9M @ 6:53 pace
Thur: 9M @ 7:03 pace
Fri: 9M @ 6:50 pace; last 10' at half-marathon effort
Sat: 8M @ 6:57 pace w/ 6 strides
Sun: 14.5M @ 6:55 pace

Weekly Total: 66.5 miles

Just Running

2009-11-16T22:24:00.002+01:00

After taking a couple weeks off (okay, not quite a full two weeks, but it felt like it), I'm back to my normal self donning the Asics 2140's and hitting the trails for some easy runs. No hard workouts or races planned yet, just easy running to establish a good base.

9-15 Nov

Mon: DNR
Tues: 7M easy
Wed: 8M easy
Thur: 9M easy
Fri: 8M easy
Sat: 8M easy
Sun: 13M easy

Weekly Total: 53 miles

Taking it easy

2009-11-11T20:41:00.004+01:00

I tried to take 2 complete weeks off from running, but that was easier said than done. However, I did make it to 10 consecutive days of no running. On days 11-14 I got in 20-30 minutes of very easy running. With the exception of some tightness and a knotty feeling in the right hamstring, the legs and body feel great. The plan for now is to slowly build my base.

Here are some race photos.

Marine Corps Marathon - Race Report

2009-10-30T21:11:00.006+01:00

In case you're wondering or if you haven't checked the results yet, I ran a 2:41:33 at the Marine Corps Marathon and Armed Forces Marathon Championship. Army took 3rd Place. Air Force (1st) and Navy (2nd) both put together a very strong team. Air Force had their top 4 runners all under 2:30 (team results here) and Navy had the overall race winner of 2:21.

It's true when they say the marathon is 2 races, a 20 mile run and then a 10k race. I put in a good first 20 miles and then just fell apart big time in the last 10K. I'm not sure what really happened. The wheels just fell off after I hit the 20M mark. I never cramped up in the last 10K, but my legs did feel like I was carrying 10 pound leg weights. It could be either that the few up and downhills early in the race took the legs out, or my body and legs just wasn't fully recovered from Berlin. Probably a combination of both.

My race plan was to go out slightly slower than Berlin for the 1st half, about 5:54-5:56 pace, and then slightly increase the pace later in the race if I was feeling good. I did exactly that. I reached 10K in 36:54 (5:56 pace), 15K in 55:05 (5:55 pace) and the halfway mark in 1:17:16 (5:54 pace). I think what went wrong for me is that I increased the pace a little too much following the halfway mark. I ran miles 14-18 at 5:56, 5:52, 5:46, 5:51, and 5:50 pace. At 20 miles, my time was 1:57:57 (5:54 pace and on track for a 2:34 marathon). Not long after I hit the 20M marker, the legs started to feel like bricks. No more sub-6:00 pace for me. I ran 6:10-6:35 pace for miles 21-23. I told myself that if I can just hold 6:30 pace for the last 3 miles than I could still salvage a decent marathon. Of course that didn't happen. I struggled through the last 3.2 miles in 24.15 (7:35 pace) and finished with my slowest time since 2005 (not including Grandmas which I did as a long run). I'm still very happy with my overall race despite the substandard time. Here are my splits:

Distance / Time / Split
5K 18:16
10K 36:54 (18:38)
15K 55:05 (18:11)
20K 1:13:15 (18:10)
Half 1:17:16
25K 1:31:28 (18:13)
30K 1:49:42 (18:14)
35K 2:09:02 (19:20)
40K 2:30:58 (21:56)
Finish 2:41:33

It's now time to rest and fully recover from 4 marathons in a year's period (Oct '08 - Oct '09). No running for at least a full week, maybe two.

Amsterdam Marathon (19Oct08) 2:35:37
Hamburg Marathon (26Apr09) 2:34:33
Berlin Marathon (20Sep09) 2:34:06
Marine Corps Marathon (25Oct09) 2:41:33

1 Week till MCM

2009-10-18T13:13:00.002+02:00

A week from today I'll be running in the Marine Corps Marathon. It will be my 2nd marathon within a 5-week period. The number of weeks between marathons is not something I found easy to deal with. In fact, 5 weeks is barely enough to get in a complete marathon recovery and then get ready for the next marathon. If I was running the 2nd marathon just to finish, then I'd say 5 weeks is certainly enough. However, I'm not putting on an Army singlet to stroll through the streets of our capital. I'm going to give everything I got on raceday, just like I did in Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, etc.....

The week of training/tapering has gone okay for the most part. After Tuesday night's track session, I started to feel a little pain on the outside of my right knee. I initially thought I was coming up with an Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS), which I experienced back in Spring '06. I took Wednesday off to give it some rest and then tried running on Thursday. It turned out that the slight pain was actually just below and outside of the knee on the top of Peroneus Longus muscle, mainly some tightness. I took the rest of the week easy knowing that there's not much fitness I can gain from here on out.

12-18 Oct

Mon: 4M very easy
Tues: 9M including 6 x 800 (2:33, 2:30, 2:30, 2:31, 2:27, 2:27) + 1 x 400 (1:11)
Wed: DNR
Thur: 5M @ 7:15 pace
Fri: 5M @ 7:12 pace with 5 x strides
Sat: 5M @ 7:00 pace with last mile slightly faster than MP; 5 x strides
Sun: 13M @ 6:53 pace

Weekly Total: 41 miles

Think positive

2009-10-12T21:55:00.003+02:00

If Sammy Wanjiru can still be happy after running 1:41 slower in the 2nd half of the Chicago Marathon, then there's no reason for me not to be happy with my 1:26 positive split in Berlin. But again, he has all the reasons to be happy. At the age of 22, the guy has ran 4 marathons, won all 4 of them, ran a record in each of them (3 course records and olympic games record), and received $100,000 bonus for one second. Impressive!

Speaking of impressive, my Dutch female friend Inge Van Bergen ran an impressive race at the Eindhoven Marathon on Sunday. She ran a personal best of 2:44:07 placing 4th overall and was the 1st female Dutch runner. It was a huge PR for her and great acheivement considering she was injured most of the Spring season. Looks like my fellow Dutch training partners and I are going to have some cake and coffee from Inge after tomorrow night's track workout. Oops, I actually still have to bring my share for acheiving a PR in Berlin.

Today: 4M very easy

2 Weeks till MCM

2009-10-11T20:45:00.002+02:00

Today was my first long run since Berlin Marathon and my first/last one for Marine Corps Marathon. I ran 17 miles at a comfortable steady pace, averaging 6:43 pace for the run. There were a few miles in the middle of the run when the pace dropped to 6:30/mile. When it did I forced myself to back off to ensure I wasn't pushing beyond long run pace. Two weeks to go for the US Armed Forces Marathon Championship, which is in conjunction with MCM.

5-11 Oct
Mon: DNR; core exercise
Tues: Noon - 4M @ 7:02 pace; PM - 9M including ladder of 300 to 700m
Wed: 10M @ 6:56 pace
Thur: 6M @ 7:07 pace
Fri: 9M including 4-mile tempo in 23:03 (5:46, 5:49, 5:45, 5:43)
Sat: 6M @ 7:01 pace
Sun: 17M @ 6:43 pace

Weekly Total: 61 miles

Waking up the legs

2009-10-10T07:57:00.001+02:00

I continue to feel pretty good and optimistic about MCM (Marine Corps Marathon), . Did an easy 6 miles with strides on Wednesday and then 9 miles with the middle 4 slightly faster than marathon pace yesterday. The purpose of yesterday's workout was to wake up the legs and remind them what faster pace running felt like. I ran the 4 miles slower than tempo in 23:03 (5:46, 5:49, 5:45, 5:43). The workout felt quite easy that I considered extending it to 5 or 6 miles. I was smart enough though and stopped at the planned 4 miles. An easy 6 today and 16 tomorrow wraps up a 60-mile week.

Signs of life in the legs

2009-10-07T20:50:00.002+02:00

After taking Monday completely off from running, I did an easy 4 miles during lunch on Tuesday, and then hit the track later that night to get some turnover in the legs. I did a ladder workout of 300 to 700 (200 rec) with my friend Paul. The workout went surprisingly well and the turnover felt smooth. Today, I did an easy 10 miles on trails. I expected some heaviness or fatigue in the legs, but none at all. This is not only a positive sign of how quicly my legs recovered from Berlin, but also a confidence booster that the fitness is still high.

300 - "55
400 - 1:14
500 - 1:35
600 - 1:52
700 - 2:13
700 - 2:14
600 - 1:53
500 - 1:31
400 - 1:10
300 - :51

Mon: DNR; core exercises
Tues: Noon - 4M @ 7:02 pace; PM - 9M including ladder of 300 to 700m.
Wed: 10M @ 6:56 pace

Week 2 Recovery

2009-10-04T19:49:00.005+02:00

Week 2 recovery is complete. I'd say I'm about 85% fully recovered. The legs and cardio almost feel like they're back to normal. I think by the time I toe the line in DC I'll be somewhere close to pre-Berlin race fitness. Here's the last 2 weeks of recovery.

28 Sep - 4 Oct
Mon: 3.2M @ 7:40 pace; lots of core exercises
Tues: 6M @ 7:14 pace
Wed: 8M @ 6:52 pace
Thur: DNR; cross train and core exer.
Fri: 8M @ 6:53 pace
Sat: 5M @ 7:00 pace
Sun: 12M @ 6:53 pace

Weekly Total: 42.2 miles

21-27 Sep
Mon: DNR
Tues: DNR
Wed: DNR
Thur: 4M very easy
Fri: 3.5M very easy
Sat: 5M @ 7:15 pace
Sun: 8.2M @ 7:25 pace

Weekly Total: 20.7 miles

Recovery & Next Race

2009-09-29T20:17:00.001+02:00

Thanks to all who provided comments on my Berlin Marathon result and race report. A few comments mentioned the temperature and heat as a factor. I agree to a certain extent. However, I wouldn't use it as an excuse or reason for my not finishing strong.

Recovery is going extremely well. All the walking after the race and following day contributed to the legs only feeling sore for a couple days. Last week, I took 3 complete days off from running before going on a 30 minute slow jog. Runs of 27, 36 and 60 minutes wrapped up week 1 of recovery. Today was an easy 6 miles on trails with the legs feeling great. The rest of the week will continue to be easy running with a planned day off on Thursday.

My next race, as listed on the right, will be the Marine Corps Marathon on 25 October. I'll be running in the Army Team as part of the Armed Forces Marathon Championships.

Berlin Marathon - Race Report

2009-09-26T19:35:00.004+02:00

Sorry it has taken a while to get the race report posted. Here it is.

PreRace: In the early morning I got in a good breakfast and then relaxed in the hotel lobby until I was ready to hop onto the shuttle bus to the start. I watched runners as they all walked by excited to hit the streets of Berlin. The bus took us on a 20 minute ride from the hotel to the runners drop-off point. Once out of the bus, I followed the herd of runners to the baggage drop-off tents, which seemed like a mile away. I found a spot near my baggage tent, where I relaxed, stretched, and pondered at the task ahead. About 40 minutes till the start of the race I made my way to Coral B, which was designated for 2:20-2:50 marathoners. It was a good thing I went to my coral early because there were a ton of runners within the range of 2:20-2:50. (According to the results, there were 502 runners that finished under 2:51 - unbelievable)

Race: When the gun went off I was cautious not to start too fast due to the excitement. I ran comfortably and reached the 1K mark in 3:36 (5:48 pace), a second or two/km faster than my planned goal pace. So, what was goal pace? Well, I decided a few months ago, based on training, that marathon goal pace would be 3:37-38/km or 5:49-51/mile. The plan all along was to give it my all. Run a gutsy race with even or negative splits. Reaching the halfway mark in 1:17 plus, like I did in my last two marathons, was out of the question and never crossed my mind. With the exception of the 2nd km (3:36), I ran the next 3ks right at goal pace and crossed the 5K timing mat in 18:00 flat. My 5K split was about 12 seconds too fast, but I was okay with it because I was now running goal pace. However, that didn't last long because I only slowed 2 seconds over the next 5 kilometers. 10K split was 36:02 (sub-2:32 marathon pace).

From 11 - 20K I ran tactically. The pace during this 10km segment was a little inconsistent because I was surging in some areas to catch runners up ahead when others couldn't hold the pace. At one point, around 12K, one runner who was drafting off of me for a good period of time decided to come to the front to do some of the pacing. I was fine and happy with that; however, he ended up setting a slower pace. He knew it when we reached one of the markers and apologized to me. I told him it was okay and then took off to make up some of the lost time. My 3rd 5K split (11-15K) was in 18:07 (3:37, 7:26 (12-13K), 3:26, 3:38) and the 4th (16-20K) in 18:16 (3:40, 7:18 (17-18K), 3:39, 3:39). I crossed the half-marathon mark in 1:16:20 (3:37/km or 5:49 pace).

After the halfway mark, I was still running strong at goal pace. I went through the 25K mark in 1:30:34 (18:09 5k split - 5:51 pace) and the 30K in 1:48:40 (18:06 5k split - 5:50 pace). Following the 30K, I still felt good and was working with another runner. We clicked off splits of 3:37, 3:35, & 3:38 for the next 3ks (31-33K). I then began to slow a little over the next couple kilometers with splits of 3:43 & 3:44, which brought me to an 18:17 5k split (5:53 pace) at 35K. The runner I was working with for most of the 2nd half now had about a 10 meter gap on me. I told myself that if I can just catch up to him, then he'll pull me at least through the next couple kilometers. I fought hard and was able to catch up to him with a 3:38 split (36K). My time at 36K was 2:10:35, which was still sub-2:33 pace. Unfortunately, that last push was all I could manage and my goal of a 2:32-2:33 marathon was about to slip away.

Splits 37-40K were 3:49, 3:43, 3:49 & 3:47. The last 5k segment (36-40K) was 18:46 (3:45/km or 6:02 pace). When I reached the 40K mark in 2:25:43, I knew I had to dig deep if I wanted to lower my PR. At 42K, I crossed the Brandenburg Gate, which was an electrifying feeling, and could see the finish line just 200 meters ahead. With about 100-150 meters to go I saw the clock ticking at 2:33.4x. I then gave all the remaining effort I had left, but sadly watched the clock roll over to 2:34. Official net time was 2:34:06. You can view my splits here or below, official results here and video clips here.

Also, here is a news article that was published in one of the papers in Guam.
Here are my 5K splits:

5 km 00:18:00
10 km 00:36:02
15 km 00:54:09
20 km 01:12:25
Half 01:16:20
25 km 01:30:34
30 km 01:48:40
35 km 02:06:57
40 km 02:25:43

Overall: 98
Gender Place: 91
Age Group: 25
Gun Time: 02:34:08
Net Tiime: 02:34:06

Thanks to all who were following my race and cheering me on. You all rock!

Berlin Marathon - 2:34:06 (PR)

2009-09-22T07:37:00.000+02:00

2:34:06, PR'd by 27 seconds. Race report to follow very soon.

Berlin here I come

2009-09-16T22:21:00.006+02:00

Less than 4 days to go and I'm already feeling the marathon nerves. The good thing is that I'm feeling a lot more confident after my last couple runs. On Tuesday I did my tune-up workout of 4 x 1K on a dirt track during lunch. I was accompanied by my good friend and coworker Jurgen, who volunteered to serve as a pacer for the workout. I told him 3:15-18 was the planned splits for the 1K. He ended up taking me through in 3:13, 3:11, 3:11, & 3:11. I felt quite good and light in the legs. This workout is probably what my legs and body needed after feeling stale on Sunday and Monday's run. Today was an easy 6-miler and the legs again felt good and light.

All that remains is a couple short easy runs, carbo-loading and lots of rest. My next post will most likely be on late Sunday. Thanks to all who continue to follow my blog and provide comments.

Today: 6M @ 7:06 pace
Tues: 9.3M including 4 x 1K w/ 200 rec.
Mon: 4.2M @ 7:18 pace

One week to go

2009-09-13T18:51:00.011+02:00

My legs and body always seem to feel sluggish at some point during marathon taper. I imagine that this is normal due to the significant decrease in mileage after weeks and months of hard training. On Friday's tempo interval workout I felt pretty good. However, in today's 13-mile run with my friend Jurgen, I never felt comfortable and interested in the run. I'll call it a case of marathon taper syndrome.

7-13 September

Mon: 6M @ 7:18 pace
Tues: AM - 4M including APFT 2M in 10:32; PM - 6M easy with no timing
Wed: 6.2M @ 7:14 pace
Thur: 6M @ 7:02 pace
Fri: 10M including 3 x 2K w/ 400 rec + 3 x 200 w/ 200 rec; (2K: 6:50, 6:39, 6:34; 200m: 33, 34, 34)
Sat: 6M @ 6:57 pace
Sun: 13M @ 6:39 pace

Weekly Total: 57.2 miles

APFT

2009-09-08T20:38:00.000+02:00

I did an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) today and realized that I'm in better muscular endurance fitness than what I initially had thought. I did 116 pushups, 97 situps and ran the 2-mile in 10:32 for a total score of 381. The 116 pushups and 97 situps were about 3-5 repititions short of my usual average in an APFT. That's actually not bad at all considering I have not done much muscular endurance training in the past 2-3 months because of the focus on marathon training.

On the other hand, the 10:32 for 2-mile was also sort of an unexpected result. Before the start of the run my grader/scorekeep asked me what time I expect to finish the 2-mile. I told her between 11:00 - 11:30. I had no intentions of running at full effort (and I didn't) because I'm currently tapering for Berlin. From start to finish I ran comfortably hard and fairly relaxed. I completed the first loop in 5:20 (course was 2 loops of 1-Mile) feeling very good. In the 2nd and last loop I might have picked up the pace at some point because I finished 8 seconds faster in 5:12.

Mon: 6M @ 7:18 pace
Tues: AM - 4M including APFT 2M in 10:32; PM - 6M easy with no timing

Taper/Peak Phase Begins

2009-09-06T18:34:00.000+02:00

It's a great feeling to know all the hard work is done. Now it's time to cut back on training and allow the body and muscles to rebuild to peak strength.

31 Aug - 06 Sep

Mon: Noon - 6M @ 7:00 pace; PM - 4M @ 7:09 pace
Tues: Noon - 5M @ 7:06 pace; PM - 10M including 8 x 600m+ 4 x 200m
Wed: Noon - 4M @ 7:23 pace; PM - 9M @ 7:00 pace
Thur: 7M @ 7:10 pace
Fri: 14M w/ 10 at MP; 10M - 57:50 (5:47 pace or 3:36/km)
Sat: 6M @ 7:09 pace
Sun: 20M @ 6:39 pace

Weekly Total: 85 miles

16 days to go

2009-09-04T22:48:00.002+02:00

With the exception of the sudden change in weather (chilly, windy and rainy), the week has gone very well. I did easy runs on Mon, Wed, & Thur, a stamina/fartlek workout on Tuesday and a marathon pace workout today. To complete this (R-2) week I'll do an easy run on Sat, then my last long run of 20 miles on Sun. From Monday on I'll be tapering to hit the streets of Berlin.

Key Workouts of the week

Tuesday's workout was 8 x 600 + 4 x 200, all with 200m easy for recovery. I had planned to run the 600s in 2' flat, which never happened. Splits ended up at 1:58, :58, :56, :56, :54, :55, :55, & :54. The 200s were in 34, 34, 33, & 32 seconds.

Today's workout was 14 miles with 10M @ marathon pace, or what I think feels somewhat like marathon pace. As usual, I ran on the track to split my mile splits (1600m to be exact). I ran the 10M in 57:50 (5:47 pace or 3:36/km), 2 seconds faster than the same workout 5 weeks ago. Was quite happy with the result of the workout considering the windy conditions. In the last mile I intentionally picked up the pace to simulate a strong finish. Hopefully that will be the case on raceday (highly doubt it though). Here are the splits.

# - Split Time (1600m)
1 - 5:46
2 - 5:49
3 - 5:47
4 - 5:45
5 - 5:46
6 - 5:44
7 - 5:46
8 - 5:43
9 - 5:45
10 - 5:39
- 0:20

10 Miles - 57:50 (5:47 pace or 3:36/km)

24-30 August; 3 Weeks till Berlin

2009-08-30T14:11:00.001+02:00

It was a good week of training with 3 key workouts and 90+ miles. Tuesday was a 10k progression run, Friday was tempo intervals of 4 x 3K at half-marathon pace and today was a long hard 20 miles at about 20 seconds slower than marathon pace.

Friday's run was tough. There was almost no motivation before the warmup and it was very windy. Planned pace for the 3K tempo intervals was 3:27-28/km or 5:33-35/mi. I was right on target for the first two, but a little too fast on the last two. 3K splits were:

10:21 (3:27/km or 5:33/mi)
10:21 (3:27/km or 5:33/mi)
10:16 (3:25/km or 5:30/mi)
10:10 (3:23/km or 5:27/mi)

This morning's long run was also a tough one. 20 miles consisting of a mile warmup, 18 at MP +:20 per mile (~6:10 pace), and then concluding with a cooldown mile. I ran the first 9 (miles 2-10) in 55:29 averaging 6:10 pace. The 2nd 9 (miles 11-19) was in 53:53 (5:59 pace), maybe a little too fast than I wanted. Average pace for the entire run was 6:09.

--------------------------------------

24-30 August

Mon: Noon - 6M @ 7:02 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:10 pace
Tues: Noon - 5M @ 7:10 pace; PM - 10.5M with 10k progression run in 35:14
Wed: Noon - 6M @ 7:04 pace; PM - 9M @ 6:57 pace
Thur: Noon - 6M @ 7:07 pace; PM - 6.5M @ 7:15 pace
Fri: 13M including 4 x 3K @ 1/2-marathon pace w/ 3' easy rec; splits - 10:21, 10:21, 10:16, 10:10
Sat: 7M @ 6:59 pace
Sun: 20M @ 6:09 pace

Weekly Total: 94 miles

25 August

2009-08-25T22:18:00.002+02:00

10K progression run on the track this evening. Started out at appoximate marathon pace then slowly accelerated down to around 10k pace. Splits were 5:47, 5:49, 5:41, 5:38, 5:34, 5:25, and 1:20 (400m). 10K in 35:14 (5:40 pace). Mile 2 turned out to be slower than the first, because my mind was somewhere else. I got back on track and had no problems accelerating the pace for the remainder of the workout. The run was good and I felt like I still had a lot in reserve.

Noon - 5M @ 7:10 pace
PM - 10.5M with 10k progression run in 35:14

Desiree Davila's marathon (2:27:53) at the World Championships was very inspiring. Besides Deena and Kara, she is the only American woman to break 2:30 since 2007. Her half splits were 1:14:21 and 1:13:32. The awesome thing about her marathon, aside from the fast time and negative splits, is that she ran her own race and knew what she was capable of running. Now, only if we can all execute a marathon like hers.

24 August

2009-08-24T22:48:00.003+02:00

Michael commented on my last post with a couple questions. Instead of answering them on the comments section, I've decided to reply to it as a post entry.

How are you feeling about your preparation?
- I couldn't be happier with the way my preparation and marathon training has gone for the upcoming Berlin Marathon. However, I probably said the same thing in my last two marathon training. It's really tough to say because when I'm feeling fit it'll always be easy to say preparation is going much better than the last time. I think a couple ways to tell is by comparing workouts between this marathon trainup and previous ones, and/or comparing race results. I won't go into the details of comparing workouts and race results, but I'd say that this marathon trainup has shown some improvement in fitness.

- Another reason I'm feeling good about my preparation is that I've been injury-free and healthy during the entire trainup. When I ran my PB (personal best) in Hamburg I came off an injury and decided to run Hamburg only 8 weeks out from the race. It was probably a 12-week trainup because I had a good 4 weeks of consistent training before I decided on Hamburg. Compared to Hamburg, Berlin's trainup is a full 18 weeks with no interruptions from injury or health (knocking on wood).

Do you think this will be a PB run?
For an answer, please refer to the last two sentences of a previous post.

Today: Noon - 6M @ 7:02 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:10 pace

23 August

2009-08-23T22:03:00.000+02:00

Steady 24 miles this morning. With the exception of the first couple miles (body & legs were still asleep), I felt very good and cruised along for 2 hours and 37 minutes. Averaged 6:46 pace for the first 12 miles and 6:19 for the 2nd half. The run ended a 95-mile week.

I watched the World Championship Marathon (Men and Women) the last couple mornings on EuroSport. It was very inspiring, especially seeing and hearing the thunderous cheers each time the runners crossed the Brandenburg Gate. Can't wait to experience it in four weeks.

16-23 August

Mon: AM - 5M @ 7:22 pace; PM - 6M @ 7:07 pace
Tues: 11M @ 6:55 pace including 10 x :30 w/ 1' easy
Wed: AM - 5M @ 7:00 pace; PM - 10.2M @ 6:43 pace
Thur: AM - 5M @ 7:04 pace; PM - 9M @ 6:52 pace
Fri: 13.5M including 10 x 1k (3:21, :21, :21, :19, :20, :20, :20, :19, :19, & 3:18) w/ 200m rec
Sat: 6.6M @ 7:12 pace
Sun: 24M @ 6:33 pace

Weekly Total: 95.3 miles

21 August

2009-08-21T22:30:00.001+02:00

The middle of the week here in Holland was very warm compared to the normal summer. Temps reached low to mid-90s on Wednesday and Thursday. Today was a whole lot better with the high only peaking at 75 degrees. It made for a good workout on the track. I did 10 x 1K tempo intervals with 200m easy for recovery. I was initially shooting for 3:22-3:25/km because the legs were feeling a little tired from a combination of Sunday's race and the last three days at 11 miles including a fartlek, 15 and 14 miles. But when I went through the first couple 1k repeats in 3:21 feeling comfortable and steady, I decided to just continue on with the pace. The 10 x 1k splits were 3:21, :21, :21, :19, :20, :20, :20, :19, :19, and 3:18. I think the pace was perfect because I finished the workout feeling like I could have knocked a few more. Tomorrow will be an easy short run and Sunday a long steady 24-miler.

Today: 13.5M including 10 x 1k w/ 200m recovery.
Thur: AM - 5M @ 7:04 pace; PM - 9M @ 6:52 pace
Wed: AM - 5M @ 7:00 pace; PM - 10.2M @ 6:43 pace
Tues: 11M @ 6:55 pace including 10 x :30 w/ 1' easy

17 August

2009-08-17T21:44:00.004+02:00

I hope you're all enjoying the Athletics World Championships in Berlin. Thanks to EuroSport, I'm having a great time watching the events. How can you not when you have a superhuman performance by Bolt (9.58 WR), an awesome all-around athlete like Jessica Ennis in the Heptathlon, and Kenenisa Bekele running a 55-second last lap to defend his world title in 26:46.

At the same time, the Americans aren't doing too bad. Some good and noticeable performance include: Tyson Gay running 9.71 for a new American record (he was still a distance back from Bolt....Unbeleivable!). Jenny Barringer continues to run great as she placed 5th breaking her own AR by almost 10 seconds in the steeple. Ritz ran very well with a new 10K PR in 27:22 for 6th. And, we have 3 Americans (Lagat, Manzano & Lomong) that will be in the 1500m final.

Today: AM - 5M @ 7:22 pace; PM - 6M @ 7:07 pace

Haachtse Stratenloop 10M

2009-08-17T00:13:00.004+02:00

Haachtse Stratenloop (Haacht Street Run) 10 Mile: 54:28

At some point I had to run a tune-up race as I normally do leading up to the marathon. On Friday, after looking at the calendar and knowing that I'm only five weeks away from Berlin, I went online to do some race event searching. There were only a few races listed for the weekend in Holland, mostly 5Ks and 10Ks, so I expanded my search to the nearby cities in Belgium. I found the Haachtse Stratenloop 10M (Haacht Street Run) in the Belgian city of Haacht, 1-hour away, to be a perfect fit.

The race course consisted of 4 x 4K loops around the city center. The start was in front of the city church and we made a small U onto the loop course, which I assume was about .095 meters to make it 10 miles. In the 1st loop I ran beside one local runner with another runner drafting off of me. We came through the 2K mark in 6:38 (5:20 pace and a bit too fast). I didn't take down my splits, but I do remember some split times for a few markers (2K, 8k, 10k, 12k) when I did look at my watch or the race clock at the finish. As we started the 2nd loop, the runner who was drafting off of me backed off leaving it to Chris and I to battle for the win. It was obvious his name was Chris because practically all the spectators and some runners we lapped were cheering for him. We completed the 2nd loop (~27:05) still running side by side.

On the 3rd loop at the 10k mark, which we came across in 34:01, I decided to push the pace. I managed to put about a 10 meter gap over the next kilometer. After completing the 3rd loop (12k in ~40:50), I looked back a couple of times hoping to see my lead increase. To my surprise he was actually closing in, and I knew it was just a matter of time till he catches me. This broke me mentally. I then made the decision to let him catch up to me so that we could possibly work together in the last loop. Chris and I were once again running side by side. About midway through the last loop, I started believing that the race was mine to win, because Chris was working and breathing harder than I was to stay with the pace. At about 1k from the finish, I decided to let go of the leash and push hard to the finish. I ended up taking the win by 10 seconds in 54:28, a new personal best by almost a minute.

I am extremely happy with my race today for many reasons.

1) Of course, a new 10M PR. Who won't be happy with a new PR?
2) Overall performance and execution (mentally & physically). I managed to regroup and think positive after being caught to take the WIN.
3) Overall fitness. I ran this race without tapering (does 65 miles on 5 days and one day off consititute as a taper?) and averaging 91 miles for the last 5 weeks.

Back to normal days

2009-08-15T21:28:00.003+02:00

I'm finally done with my two weeks of 12-hour night shift duty. Glad it's all over. Training for the week went well. I did one key workout on Wednesday and the rest easy at aerobic pace. I chose to take today off from running and catch up on some well-needed sleep. Tomorrow, I will run a 10-Mile race in Belgium as my tune-up for Berlin. Here's how the week went.

10-15 August

Mon: 10M @ 6:47 pace
Tues: AM - 5M @ 7:15 pace; PM - 10M @ 6:57 pace
Wed: 13.5M including 6 x 1 mile @ ~10k pace with 3' easy; splits: 5:30, 5:28, 5:28, 5:26, 5:24, & 5:20
Thur: AM - 5M @ 7:20 pace; PM - 10.3M @ 6:52 pace
Fri: 12M @ 6:49 pace
Sat: DNR
Sun: 10M Race

3-9 August

2009-08-11T19:39:00.002+02:00

I was not able to get in a long run on Sunday because of lack of sleep and 12-hr shift, but still managed to total 95 miles for the week. I will do mostly easy running this week as the long hours of work is keeping the body a bit tired.

Mon: AM - 6M @ 7:06 pace; 4M @ 7:06 pace
Tues: 10M including 5 x 1K (3:09, 3:08, 3:08, 3:07 & 3:06)
Wed: 12M @ 6:42 pace with the last 4 miles moderate.
Thur: AM - 6M @ 6:56 pace; PM - 8M @ 6:48 pace
Fri: AM: 6.2M @ 6:58 pace; PM - 10M including 5M tempo run in 27:33 - 5:31 pace
Sat: AM - 11M @ 6:36 pace; PM - 6.1M @ 6:46 pace
Sun: AM - 5M @ 7:03 pace; PM - 11 @ 6:44 pace

Weekly Total: 95 miles

8 August

2009-08-08T20:05:00.000+02:00

I had an oddly good day of running for a Saturday, a day I normally treat as recovery. I did an 11-mile loop in the morning that goes through all the small villages from the municipality of Schinnen. I cruised this run averaging 6:36 pace, which honestly felt quite easy and comfortable. After my run and during the day, I did nothing special. Stayed home, cleaned a little, watched TV and "tried" to get some sleep for my tonight's 12-hour shift. I was unsuccessful in the sleeping part. I laid in bed for a couple hours with the eyes closed, but mind and body still awake. When 5:30pm came around, I went for a second run. I did 6 easy miles averaging 6:46 pace. Writing in my log 6:36 and 6:46 pace, I certainly don't think it was easy. Maybe suddenly there is a slight improvement in fitness.

Well, I'm off to a long night of work. I expect to be very tired come 9am tomorrow.

AM - 11M @ 6:36 pace
PM - 6.1M @ 6:46 pace

7 August

2009-08-07T21:35:00.001+02:00

After having the last couple days off from work, I'm back to 12-hour night shift tomorrow night for a full week. I'm dreading it, but sort of looking forward to it because once it's over I'll have an entire week off before going back to my normal work schedule.

Today, I did an easy 6.2 miles in the morning and then 10 miles this evening, which included a 5-mile tempo run at half-marathon pace accelerating to 10k pace. I ran the 5M tempo in 27:33, 5:31 pace. Mile splits were 5:37, 5:32, 5:29, 5:30, & 5:25. The last couple miles really hurt. I thought about calling it quits as I approached 3 miles. However, when I reached 3 miles I told myself "just do one more mile." And then at 4 miles, I told myself "come on, what's 4 laps". I was glad to be done.

AM: 6.2M @ 6:58 pace
PM - 10M including tempo run (5M - 27:33; 5:31 pace)

Bib # 5737 in Berlin

2009-08-06T22:38:00.001+02:00

I received my Berlin Marathon confirmation. I'll be wearing bib number 5737 on my singlet in 6 weeks and 3 days.

Today: AM - 6M @ 6:56 pace; PM - 8M @ 6:48 pace
Wed: 12M @ 6:42 pace with the last 4 miles moderate.

4 August

2009-08-04T20:18:00.001+02:00

My legs and body are consistently feeling fatigue and flat coming off of 12-hour night shifts. When I get off from work I'm constantly asking myself whether I should even put on the running shoes. Of course there's only one answer to that question.

Today, I went straight to the track after getting off from work for some quality speed session. I wanted to get the workout done as soon as possible so that I could still have some time for a nice meal and 6-7 hours of sleep. During my warmup, I was considering on cancelling the workout because my body and legs were feeling fatigue. However, I started to feel better once I got onto the track and did a couple strides. I did 5 x 1K with 200m slow easy jogs for recovery. I probably had my best track workout of 1K intervals to date. Splits were 3:09, 3:08, 3:08, 3:07 & 3:06. I came through the 400/800 consistently in 1:15-16/2:31-2. I could not have been happier with the result of this workout, especially following long hours of work.

Today: 10M including 5 x 1K (3:09, 3:08, 3:08, 3:07 & 3:06)
Mon: AM - 6M @ 7:06 pace; 4M @ 7:06 pace

27 July - 2 August

2009-08-02T15:09:00.006+02:00

20-mile long run including some marathon pace pick ups. I ran one hour steady covering 8.8 miles (6:49 pace), then went straight into a fartlek of 5 x 3' at marathon pace with 3' easy. I ended up running the MP section a few seconds faster (~5:40-5:48). After the final set, which put me at 90 minutes of running, I ran the remainder of the workout (6.5 miles at 6:22 pace) steady to complete 20 miles. It was a good long run to end another successful week of training for Berlin.

I expect the next couple weeks of running to be a challenge. I'll work 12-hour night shifts (9pm - 9am) for the next 2 weeks. It'll be tough getting the body adjusted to sleeping during the day. It looks as though I may have to get in the runs before work and after a long 12-hour shift.

27 Jul - 2 Aug

Mon: Noon - 6M @ 7:02 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:20 pace
Tues: Noon - 6M @ 7:17 pace; PM - 9M including 12 x 400m w/ 200m rec.
Wed: Noon - 6M @ 7:09 pace; PM - 10M @ 7:03 pace
Thur: Noon - 6M @ 7:08 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:15 pace
Fri: 16M including 10 miles at MP (57:52 - 5:47 pace)
Sat: 7M @ 7:12 pace
Sun: 20M @ 6:35 pace; 1-hr steady + 5 x 3' @ MP w/ 3' easy + 6.5M steady

Weekly Total: 96 miles

Marathon Pace Workout

2009-07-31T21:50:00.002+02:00

Did a marathon pace workout today, 16 miles total with 10 miles at goal MP on the track. This is the same workout (10M @ MP) I did on 3 April, four weeks prior to Hamburg Marathon, where I ran my marathon personal best of 2:34. After comparing the two workouts, I was very surprised to see that I ran today's MP run 50 seconds faster, 57:52 vs. 58:42. That's 5-seconds per mile faster (5:47 vs. 5:52 pace), or 3-seconds per km faster (3:36 vs. 3:39). The effort felt steady and controlled. Average HR for the 10 miles was 167 bpm or 86% of maxHR. Below is the mile splits (1600m to be exact). I continued on for 100 meters after completing 40 laps to make it an actual 10-miler.

# / Split Time (1600m)
1 - 5:48
2 - 5:47
3 - 5:48
4 - 5:46
5 - 5:44
6 - 5:47
7 - 5:44
8 - 5:42
9 - 5:43
10 - 5:42
- 0:21

10 Miles: 57:52

Berlin Marathon is 7 weeks away. I'm really excited and looking forward to it. So, what's the goal? Well, all I can tell you is that I'm looking at taking a big chunk out of my current personal best. I'm going for it!

30 July

2009-07-30T23:19:00.001+02:00

I finally got a massage, my first one in 4 weeks. I was overdue for one as I normally get one every couple weeks during marathon training. My massage therapist stated that my muscles were in better shape compared to my last massage. I agree with her; however, they've been feeling fatigue the last couple runs. Reason being is because of the high mileage in recent weeks. In the last 22 days (8-29 July), which includes a day of no running, I put in 305 miles. I'll finish off this week (27Jul-02Aug) at about 95 miles and then probably make next week a recovery week at 70+ miles.

Today: Noon - 6M @ 7:08 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:15 pace
Wed: Noon - 6M @ 7:09 pace; PM - 10M @ 7:03 pace

28 July

2009-07-28T22:47:00.001+02:00

I had 6 x 800m repeats planned for tonight's track session, but ended up changing it to 12 x 400m (200m recovery) since that's what the Dutch club had on their schedule. Despite a solo effort, Paul is still injured, I had an excellent workout. I ran the 400 meters faster as I got closer to 12 repeats. My first 400m was 74 seconds and my last one was the fastest at 66 seconds. I was very happy with the result of this workout, especially that my legs were feeling flat during the warmup.

Splits: 74, 73, 71, 71, 71, 71, 71, 70, 70, 69, 69, 66.

Today: Noon - 6M @ 7:17 pace; PM - 9M including 12 x 400m w/ 200m recovery.

Guam on RunnersWorld.com

2009-07-27T21:40:00.001+02:00

I was browsing RunnersWorld.com homepage yesterday and was surprised to see "Guam" on the Marathon Challenge Runner of the Week section. It turns out that a female military spouse, who is currently living in Guam, is one of the runners featured in the challenge. She will take on the challenge of running her first marathon. In her interview she was asked "What's it like to run in Guam?" and "What's the Runner's World like in Guam?". I found all her comments about the heat, spectacular ocean views, stray dogs, early race start times, etc. to be absolutely true. One thing she also stated was that "there is 5K just about every weekend". I'd say that this comment may be an understatement because there are many weekends in which there are two 5K races, most of the time on the same day and time. If you have a couple minutes to spare I recommend reading the interview.

Nothing special on today's training. Ran 6 miles during my lunch hour and 5 miles after work, all at an easy pace.

Today: Noon - 6M @ 7:02 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:20 pace

20-26 July

2009-07-26T16:15:00.002+02:00

Ran a 22-mile long run to cap off a 90-mile week on 6 days of running. The run went extremely well as I unexpectedly ran the last 11 miles in 1:09:23 (6:18 pace). The great thing about the run was that I felt comfortable and controlled as I clicked off the miles.

20-26 July

Mon: AM - 9M easy; PM - 6M easy
Tues: 11M steady including 10 x 1' w/ 1' easy;
Wed: DNR (travel)
Thur: AM - 11M @ 6:53 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:10 pace
Fri: AM - 5M @ 7:12 pace; PM - 13M including 3x2M (10:55, 10:43, 10:41) + 4x200m
Sat: 8M @ 7:03 pace
Sun: 22M @ 6:34 pace; out & back course - 1:14:55, 1:09:23

Weekly Total: 90 miles

Back in the Netherlands

2009-07-24T20:29:00.005+02:00

I'm back in the Netherlands and enjoying the running weather. It's been raining a lot since my arrival a couple days ago. I don't mind it though because I'll take the rain and mid-70 degree weather over the 90+ degree temps I was running in on Guam. I must say though that the last 2 weeks of running in Guam has improved my fitness, evidence of today's workout.

I wasted no time getting back into training after a DNR (did not run) due to travel. Yesterday morning I did 11 miles at a steady easy pace. That afternoon I did 5 easy miles. Today, I ran another easy 5 miles in the morning and a workout, 13 miles with 3 x 2M @ ~10k pace + 4 x 200m, in the evening. My legs and body felt surprisingly good in tonights workout. The initial plan was to run the 3 x 2M at half-marathon pace. However, when I came across mile 1 of the first 2M in 5:30 and feeling comfortable I decided to run according to how I felt. I ran each 2-miler faster. Splits were

10:55 (5:30, 5:25)
10:43 (5:21, 5:22)
10:41 (5:23, 5:18).

I also added 4 x 200 meters, all in 32 seconds. It was a good workout and a sign of improved fitness.

Today: AM - 5M @ 7:12 pace; PM - 13M including 3x2M (10:55, 10:43, 10:41) + 4x200m;
Thur: AM - 11M @ 6:53 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:10 pace

22 July

2009-07-21T16:16:00.003+02:00

I practically spent my last day on Guam in the hot sun; celebrated Guam's 65th Liberation Day at the parade with family and then went for a run late afternoon at Tumon Beach. In my run I was hoping to get in 12 miles with a fartlek of 15 x 1' at ~3k-5k pace. I only ended up with 11 miles and did 10 x 1' because I was feeling beaten up from the heat. Running the entire 11 miles on the compact sand (good thing it was low tide), in conjunction with the heat, was probably the reason I had to cut the workout a bit short. It was still a good workout though.

Logging off and will be missing a day of running due to travel. Till then....

Today: 11M steady including 10 x 1' w/ 1' easy;
Mon: AM - 9M easy; PM - 6M easy

13-19 July

2009-07-19T13:24:00.006+02:00

Had a very successful week of training, 101 miles, in tough running conditions. I have two more days on Guam and then I'll be making my way back to the Netherlands. I'm going to miss the family, friends and Guam, but I'll be back soon.

13-19 July

Mon: 10M @ 6:54 pace including 10 x 12-seconds hill sprints
Tues: AM - 6M easy; PM - 11M including 3 x 2-miles @ half-marathon effort; 11:22 (5:43, 5:39), 11:15 (5:39, 5:36) & 11:00 (5:36, 5:24)
Wed: AM - 11M easy; PM - 10M easy
Thur: AM - 9M easy; PM - 6M easy
Fri: AM - 5M easy; PM - 11M including double pyramid workout (1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1)
Sat: 12M @ 6:44 pace
Sun: 10M @ 7:14 pace

Weekly Summary: 101 miles