Wet Runs

It seems that every one of my runs is a wet one, either from sweat or from the pouring rain. Mother Nature has not been very friendly to the islanders lately. We've had heavy showers Saturday, Sunday and today. On my 2nd run on Saturday, I literally was running through water puddles an inch or two high. I'll have to admit though that I felt much better running in the rain than in the hot and humid conditions. In today's run, easy 10 miles with hill sprints, I thought that I'd be able to finish my run just before the dark clouds approached the area. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I got poured on at mile 9 when I was doing my hill sprints.

Today: 10M @ 6:54 pace including 10 x 12-seconds hill sprints

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6-12 July

Mon: DNR - travel day to Guam
Tues: DNR - travel day (flight delays & lost of timezone)
Wed: 11M @ 7:10 pace
Thur: AM - 12M @ 7:15 pace; PM - 7M @ 6:57 pace
Fri: AM - 10M @ 7:20 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:02 pace
Sat: AM - 11M @ 7:10 pace; PM - 4M @ 7:05 pace
Sun: 12M @ 7:12 pace

Weekly Summary: 72 miles

Not enjoying my runs

My travel back home was flawless.....okay, that was a joke. I was delayed an hour in Brussels, two hours in London, and missed my flight to Guam from Japan. The two things that went right were: I arrived safely (which is all that matters) and my luggage was not lost.

I'm enjoying every bit of my stay back home, except for the running part. Words that best describe every run so far include: disappointing, horrible, drenched, bonked, no energy, cancelled workout....I think you get the point. The humidity has been sucking my energy dry in every run. The temperature itself hasn't been too bad, high-70s to low-80s, but with the combination of about 77-80% humidity the realfeel temperature is about low to mid-90s. It may not sound too bad compared to many areas stateside. I think the problem is that my body is still accustomed to the Holland weather, which is excellent running conditions even in the Summer.

In my morning run today, I attempted a fartlek workout of 3 x 3-2-1 at approximately 5k effort. I threw in the towel after my first set. There was no possible way of completing the workout as I was breathing like I was running an all-out 800m. And I wasn't running that fast. My percentage of max HR almost reached 100%. Even when running very easy my HR is consistently at about 75-85%. I learned from my first run back on the island that is almost impossible to run for 60-70 minutes without taking in any fluids. Today, I took some money along with me and bought a gatorade at a gas station on my run back home. It definitely helped and prevented me from feeling like I bonked. I think for the time-being I'm just going to do easy running to put in the mileage. Hopefully the body will get used to the conditions very soon.

Thur: AM - 12M @ 7:15 pace; PM - 7M @ 6:57 pace
Wed: 11M @ 7:10 pace

5 July

Had a good 20-mile run this morning averaging 6:35 pace for the workout. After 10 miles, which I avg'd 6:49 pace, I decided to pick up the pace a bit to where I was about 10% off of marathon pace, in my case about 6:25 pace. I had no problems doing that as I hit the next 6 miles (11-16) between 6:22-6:27. Feeling good at 16 I increased the pace a couple seconds/mile faster hitting miles 17-19 at 6:17-6:19. Last mile was a finish-strong mile at 6:05.

Friday's marathon pace run and today's 20-miler were good confidence builders in my fitness, especially that there's still 11 weeks to go till Berlin. I'll just have to stay injury-free and continue the hard work.

Tomorrow I begin my long flight to Guam for a 3-week vacation. I won't be able to get the mileage I want to put in this coming week, because I'll lose almost 2 days due to change in timezone and flying.

29 June - 5 July

Mon: 10.1M @ 7:00 pace
Tues: AM - 4M @ 7:17 pace; PM - 8.5M including 10 sets of 300m (52-54") + 200m (34-35")
Wed: AM - 5.4M @7:10 pace; PM - 7M @ 7:04 pace
Thur: Noon - 5M @ 7:09 pace; PM - 7M @ 7:17 pace
Fri: 13.5M with 8M at MP - 5:48,:46,:47,:43,:47,:45,:45,:40 (46:01 - 5:45 pace)
Sat: 5M @ 7:24 pace
Sun: 20M @ 6:35 pace

Weekly Total: 85.5 miles

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July and good luck to those who are racing today. No 4th of July race for me. I spent America's day by doing an easy 5-miler in the morning, attending American Fest during the day, riding my new Giant Boulder mountain bike through the beautiful Holland farmlands in the late afternoon and a 90-min massage in the evening. Very productive day.....leisure-wise that is!

Tomorrow will be an easy steady 20-miler at about 6:45 - 7:00 pace. It'll be my last run in Holland at least for the next 3 weeks. On Monday I'll be taking a long 21-hour journey back to paradise to visit family and friends. It's going to be fun. However, I'm almost sure the running part won't be fun because I'll be complaining that it's too hot and humid.

Today: 5M @ 7:24 pace

MP workout

My body and legs have been feeling a bit tired and drained the last couple days, probably from the higher than normal heat and humidity that has hit us lately. However, today's conditions were a little better, less humidity, low to mid-80s and a constant breeze. The workout for the day was 12 miles with 8 at marathon pace. I ran the meat of the workout on the track so that I could accurately monitor the pace. The goal pace was 5:50-52 pace or 3:37-39/km, which is a 2:32-2:33 marathon. After a 2.5 mile warmup, I was on my way for 32 laps. I checked my 400 meter splits during the first couple laps of the first mile to see were I was at with the pace. I was quite satisfied to see that I was right on track, maybe a second or two too fast, and feeling comfortable. I ended up having an excellent workout. Finished the 8 miles in 46:01, which is about 40 seconds faster compared to the same workout I did in preparation for my last two marathons. Here are the splits:

1 - 5:48
2 - 5:46
3 - 5:47
4 - 5:43
5 - 5:47
6 - 5:45
7 - 5:45
8 - 5:40

46:01 (5:45 pace)

Today: 13.5M with 8M at MP
Thur: Noon - 5M @ 7:09 pace; PM - 7M @ 7:17 pace
Wed: AM - 5.4M @7:10 pace; PM - 7M @ 7:04 pace

30 June

It turned out that our relay team lost by 63 seconds despite having a nice cushion lead going into the 6th leg and having the 2009 Netherland's Half-Marathon Champion Patrick Stitzinger (1:02) running the 7th and last leg.

I'd say that we actually lost the relay because our 5th runner ran two consecutive legs, the 5th and 6th leg totaling 32 kilometers (20 miles). Initially, he was supposed to only run the 5th leg, but due to another injured runner someone had to double. In the weather conditions we ran in, high 70s and very humid, it would have been smarter to have him run an early and late leg versus two consective legs (note the two bib numbers below). He ended up totally bonking in the 6th leg running 1:31 for 17.3K. On the other hand, we still should have easily won the race if Patrick (left below) had at least run a tempo run. He ran 57 minutes for 15K, which he normally finishes in 44-45 minutes.

Regardless of the end results, we all still had a lot of fun. The team won 4 of the 7 legs. I won the 3rd leg of the race and was given a trophy at tonight's track session since I didn't stay till the end. Interesting that the results had my time at 59:21, about 30 seconds faster than what I had.

Tonight, I did some shorter intervals with the club. We did 10 sets of 300m (100m rec.) + 200m (100m rec.), total 5000 meters of speed. I'd list the splits but it'll be a bunch of repetitive numbers. I ran the 300 meters in 52-54 seconds and the 200 meters in 34-35 seconds.

Today: AM - 4M @ 7:17 pace; PM - 8.5M including 10 sets of 300m + 200m
Mon: 10.1M @ 7:00 pace

Vaals-Venlo Estafetteloop (relay race)

This week was a low mileage week. I did easy runs on Wed, Fri and Sat. Thursday I did not run at all because I was very busy with work and also had a function that night. It was probably a good idea to take a complete day off because the legs and body were feeling fatigue the previous days.

I mentioned in my last post that I decided not to run the US Army Europe 10-Mile qualifying race yesterday because it was just too far (5-hour drive). However, what I didn't mention was that I would run one leg in a relay race on Sunday (today) instead. The Dutch running club I train with on Tuesday nights asked me to run Paul's leg because he is injured. I figured that since I wasn't going to run the USAREUR 10M, then I'd run in the relay race. The relay race, 25th Vaals-Venlo Estafetteloop (sorry, it's in Dutch), is a 100 kilometer (62 miles) race consisting of 7 runners. It's a stagger start with slower teams starting at 8am and other teams starting in increments of 5 minutes (total of 55 teams). Our team (Wilma Running Team) started last at 0905 and was the favorite to win.

I ran the 3rd leg, which according to the race program is 17.4Km (10.8 miles) and probably one of the toughest legs with quite a bit of rolling hills. My Garmin 405 measured the course at 10.7 miles, which may be a bit off because the course runs through lots of tree canopies. Regardless, I ran a good leg and felt strong the entire time, especially on the hills. I ran 59:50 (5:32 pace or 3:26/km) and was the fastest in the 3rd leg. I was very fortunate to have many runners ahead of me because it gave me some motivation to catch and pass runner after runner. I'm not sure who won because I didn't tag along for the remainder of the relay due to other committments. However, we were in the lead when I finished my leg.

Here's the weekly summary:

22-28 June

Mon: Noon - 7M @ 7:12 pace including 7 x 10 sec. hill sprints; PM - 5M @ 7:13 pace
Tues: Noon - 3M @ 7:23 pace; PM - 8M including 15 x 300m w/ 100m recovery
Wed: 8M @ 7:03 pace
Thur: DNR
Fri: 10.6M @ 6:54 pace
Sat: 6.6M @ 7:02 pace
Sun: 10.8M @ 5:32 pace (Vaals-Venlo relay leg); 14M total

Weekly Total: 62 miles

23 June

I think Friday's 10K and the easy runs of 9 miles on Sat, 18 on Sun, and 12 on two runs yesterday finally caught up to the legs. They felt fatigued, but I still managed to get in a good track workout on a solo effort. Paul is still injured and Emily was a no show. The workout tonight was shorter intervals of 15 x 300m with 100m slow jog for recovery. The last time I did short intervals was a month ago. I remembered that I did some 300m repeats and the splits were around 50-52. I figured I'd shoot for 52-53s since the legs were a bit fatigued and the recovery was slow jogging. I was practically dead on at 52-53 splits. My last repeat was 47 seconds only because I was pushed by Wil (the coach), who tagged along after my first 100m and tried to beat me to the finish. I held him off. Splits were 52, 50, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 53, 52, 52, 51, 52, 52, 52, 47.

I will take the next day or two very easy. My next race is supposed to be the US Army Europe 10-Mile in Grafenwöhr (Germany) on Saturday. The 10-miler is the qualifying race for the USAREUR 10-Mile team that will run in the Army Ten-Miler in Washington DC. Grafenwöhr is a 5-hour drive from the Netherlands. With the race at 0800 on Saturday I would have to leave for Grafenwöhr on Friday. Unfortunately, I am unable to get off from work early and do not want to spend the whole night driving. It looks as though there'll be no Army Ten-Miler for a 2nd straight year.

Today: Noon - 3M @ 7:23 pace; PM - 8M including 15 x 300m w/ 100m recovery
Mon: Noon - 7M @ 7:12 pace including 7 x 10 sec. hill sprints; PM - 5M @ 7:13 pace

15-21 June

I think the effort I put in in Friday's 10K was about right. Besides a little tightness I felt fine in yesterday and today's run. Yesterday I did an easy 9 miles averaging 7:01 pace. I would have liked it to be at a slower pace, but was just following my HR keeping the effort at 68-70% of max.

Today's 18M long run was much of the same and felt good. Overall pace for the run was 6:49 with an avg HR of 147. I averaged 7:00 for the first 9M and 6:38 for the last half. The run capped off an 80 mile week.

Mon: Noon - 11M @ 7:08 pace; PM - 4.2M @ 7:31 pace
Tues: Noon - 4.3M @ 7:17 pace; PM - 8M including 1600 (5:15), 1400 (4:34), 1200 (3:53), & 1000 (3:09)
Wed: 9.5M @ 7:01 pace
Thur: 6M @ 7:22 pace
Fri: 10.2M including 10K Race - 34:19 (5:31 pace)
Sat: 9M @ 7:01 pace
Sun: 18M @ 6:49 pace

Weekly Total: 80.2 miles

Buffer Run

Buffer Run 10K - 34:19, 2nd Place Overall

I must first admit that I might have exceeded the effort and pace for a tempo run. I ended up running the race at 93% of max HR; average HR was 178 bpm. Despite running the race a little faster than tempo effort/pace, I never felt like I entered the anaerobic threshold area.

At the start, I only saw and knew one runner (Ivan) who is quite fast. I have never ran with him in the same race until this one, but I still knew from previous results that he is one of the top runners in the area. The gun went off and the two of us ran controlled for the first two hundred meters. However, right before the first incline Ivan suddenly surged giving him about a 20 meter lead. I thought it was an odd move to put in a surge that early in the race and considering the amount of gradual incline to come. We descended a small downhill coming across the 1K mark, which I split at 3:18. Ivan must have gone through somewhere around 3:05-10.


The next two kilometers were gradually uphill. At 2K (6:42), I evened up with Ivan just by running the same effort. We reached 3K at the top of the hill together in 10:20 (3:37 split). Ivan then put in a small surge again. About 30-45 seconds later we were side by side again. I think he realized that he wasn't getting rid of me with his small surges while I was running an even effort/pace race. 5K split was 17:06 (5:30 pace). Ivan and I ran stride for stride the rest of the race clicking off kilometer splits between 3:22 & 3:26 (5:25-5:32 pace) with the exception of 9K (3:35) which was uphill.


With 400m to go and still running stride for stride, I knew that I was going to settle for 2nd place. I was fine with it because my thought all along was to use the race as a workout. Another reason was because there was no doubt Ivan had more leg speed than me, probably from the 12 years of serious cycling he did. The way he surged during the race also seemed effortless. With about 200m to go Ivan shifted into another gear and took the win. I had no interest in trying to challenge for the win. I could tell Ivan was extremely happy of the win because he literally jumped in the air and pumped his fist as if he won a million dollars when he crossed the finish line. On the other hand, I was also very happy with my race, specifically the way I executed it. Running 34:19, with the 2nd half only about 6 seconds slower, on that course with a steady effort shows a good sign of fitness. Splits below and results here (click on "Heren 10 km senioren").

Distance / Split / Time

1K / 3:18 / 3:18
2K / 3:24 / 6:42
3K / 3:37 / 10:19
4K / 3:25 / 13:44
5K / 3:22 / 17:06 (5:30 pace)
6k / 3:26 / 20:32
7K / 3:26 / 23:58
8K / 3:24 / 27:22
9K / 3:35 / 30:57
10K / 3:22 / 34:19 (5:31 pace)

18 June

Only ran an easy 6 miles today because I'm freshening up the legs for tomorrow night's Buffer Run, which consists of a 6K and 10K race. I'll run the 10K as a tempo workout, at approximately half-marathon effort. I say effort and not pace because the course is tough there's no way to run a consistent pace. The course, only a mile from my house, is rolling hills. The first 3K (almost 2 miles) is a gradual incline, the next 5K slightly downhill with the exception of a short hill at 6K, and the last 2K a gradual hill. It should be a good tough workout.


Today: 6M @ 7:22 pace

17 June

Easy 9.5 miles during lunch. Could have gone another 1/2 mile to make it a full 10, but wasn't too concern about it. No 2nd run today. Instead, I had my first massage (90 minutes) since 6 weeks ago. I was overdue for one. Leg muscles and back feel much better and loose.

Today: 9.5M @ 7:01 pace

16 June

The 15+ miles yesterday, despite it being easy, made the legs feel like I was wearing some ankle weights during my lunch time run. I did an easy 4+ miles around a lake followed by some core exercises and stretching. Five hours later after work, I met my Dutch friends at the track for some speedwork. The workout for the night was 1600, 1400, 1200, & 1000 with 200m recovery (walking the first 100 then slow jogging the 2nd 100). Paul had some issues with his right leg, so it was just Emily and I running together. Emily also ran in the Maastrichts Mooiste 5K this past Sunday, but in the elite race (she ran 16:56), so we both didn't have fresh legs. Her coach and I decided that we should run a little slower than 5k pace, so 3:20/km or 80 second laps (5:22 pace). I chose to do the pacing and Emily had no problems with that. We ended up exceeding the agreed upon speed limit. The good thing is that the pace felt fairly comfortable.

Splits were: 1600 (5:15), 1400 (4:34), 1200 (3:53), 1000 (3:09)

Today: Noon - 4.3M @ 7:17 pace; PM - 8M including 1600, 1400, 1200, 1000 @ ~5k pace; 12.3 miles total

15 June

Did I run hard enough in yesterday's race? I was asking myself this question because the legs felt fine and normal in today's runs. During lunch time I went for an easy run with Jurgen. I intended to run alone until I bumped into him just as I was heading out of the locker room. My planned hour run was stretched to 78 minutes (11 miles) as I accompanied Jurgen on his Monday loop. I did a 2nd run of 4.2 miles after work.

Today: Noon - 11M @ 7:08 pace; PM - 4.2M @ 7:31 pace

8-14 June

Overall, it was a good training week, which concluded with my first 5K race in what seemed like ages. I'm pleased to have get in 70+ miles with the race.

Mon: Noon - 9.1M @ 6:59 pace; PM - 4.2M @ 7:18 pace
Tues: Noon - 4M @ 7:25 pace; PM - 8M including 5 x 1K (3:10, 3:09, 3:07, 3:08, & 3:06)
Wed: 10M @ 7:01 pace
Thur: Noon - 6.6M @ 7:08 pace; PM - 4.2 @ 7:12 pace
Fri: 8M @ 7:09 pace
Sat: 4.2M @ 7:10 pace
Sun: 5K Race - 16:24; 13.1M total

Weekly Total: 71.4 miles

Maastrichts Mooiste, 1st Place Overall

It was my first 5K race in almost 2 years. I finished in 1st place running 16:24. I accomplished the two goals I set coming into the race: 1) better my 5K PR of 16:37, which I ran 7 yrs ago; and 2) Top 3 finish. I was hoping to run faster than I did, possibly somewhere around 16:05-10, but two bridges with gradual inclines, many turns including a U-turn, and slippery cobblestones (which the course consisted mostly of) made that task a bit difficult. In the end the time didn't matter too much as I was most ecstatic about the win.

The race was very well organized, as they all seem to be here in the Netherlands. When the gun went off I held back because I knew many would go out at about a 5:00/mile pace. I also knew that many of the pretenders would be coming back once we hit the incline of the first bridge, only 300 meters into the race. At approximately 1K (actually never saw or looked for the marker) there was about 12 runners in the front. Shortly after, the group was broken up into 2 smaller groups with a lead pack of 4 and the rest including myself a few meters back. After we crossed the 2nd bridge and made a right turn, I decided to move up to the lead pack. Up front I saw the motorcycle with the race clock reading 8:xx. I figured we were somewhere around 2.5K. I was feeling good and strong at this point, so I decided to make a push. I don't think it was much of a push, but it was good enough to put a gap between me and the other 3 runners. Just before the 3K mark, which is the only marker I saw throughout the race, we made a U-turn. It was my first chance to see how much of a lead I had. To my surprise I had about a 10 meter lead. I tried to increase the lead each time I made a turn. At about the 14th minute of the race I looked back just to see if I was in any danger of being caught. The next runner was about 50 meters back and I knew I had the race in the bag. I made one last turn towards the finish line in the Market Square and was greeted by a loud cheering crowd. I cherished the moment and celebrated by raising the arms as I approached the finish.

I didn't take any splits at all. In fact, I never even looked at my watch, probably because I was following the motorcycle with the race clock. Complete Maastrichts Mooiste race results here. (Note. My last name was mispelled - "Bas" instead of "Blas")

12 June

Easy 8 miles today. I didn't do a key workout, as I normally do on Fridays, because I'll run a 5K race on Sunday. Despite running at an easy pace, my legs didn't feel all that good. The leg muscles and joints felt a little beaten up. I'm not sure why. The odd thing is that I'm not feeling sore. I hope it's just one of those bad-feeling days. Better to have it now rather than Sunday.

Today: 8M @ 7:09 pace
Thur: Noon - 6.6M @ 7:08 pace; PM - 4.2 @ 7:12 pace

10 June

Easy 10 miles in the Brunssumerheide during lunch. Legs felt a little sluggish early in the run, but better as I clicked off the miles. I kept the HR at about 68-70% of max heart rate, which made for a nice easy run.

Today: 10M @ 7:01 pace

9 June

I had only planned to do one training session, track workout at night, because I didn't think I'd have time to fit in a run at noon due to a busy day at work. However, when my meeting ended early I realized that I had an hour to spare, so I sneaked out for a short easy 4-miler.


Tonight was a good track session with my Dutch friend Paul and Emily Chemutai, a Kenyan female who trains and races here in the Netherlands. This is about the 5th time Emily has joined us for some speedwork. We did 5 x 1K with 200m recovery. Paul, Emily and I each took turns with the pacing; Paul would pace the first 400, I'd take over for the 2nd 400 and Emily for the last 200. We mixed it up every repeat so that we weren't pacing the same portions of the 1K. Splits were 3:10, 3:09, 3:07, 3:08, & 3:06. I was surprised that Emily stayed with the pace, because she just came off a 10K race on Sunday running 33:58 (see below). Paul, Emily and I will be running the Maastrichts Mooiste this weekend. However, we will all run in different races; Paul will run the 15K, Emily in the 5K elite race, and me in the 5K non-elite race.

VSEN, 10 KM GALARUN
Plts Naam GJ Woonplaats/Vereniging Bruto Netto
1 Caroline Cheptonui Kenia 31:36 31:35
2 Nadia Ejjafini Marokko 32:45 32:45
3 Lydia Kurgat Kenia 33:01 33:00
4 Ruth Wanjiru Kenia 33:20 33:18
5 Monica Wangari Kenia 33:32 33:30
6 Joan Aiyabei Kenia 33:44 33:43
7 Emily Chemutai Kenia 33:59 33:58
8 Masila Ndunge Kenia 34:03 34:01
9 Loise Kangogo Kenia 34:39 34:38
10 Ezby Strydom Zuid-Afrika 34:42 34:40

Today: Noon - 4M @ 7:25 pace; PM - 8M including 5 x 1K (3:10, 3:09, 3:07, 3:08, & 3:06)

8 June

Ran 9 miles easy during lunch with 10 x steep hill sprints (11 seconds). Why eleven seconds? Well, I basically just picked out a stopping point on the hill, which took me 11 seconds to reach. In the early evening I went out for another easy run, 4.2 miles on my normal shakeout run loop.

Today: Noon - 9.1M @ 6:59 pace; PM - 4.2M @ 7:18 pace

1-7 June

Yesterday was an unscheduled day-off from running. I took a day trip to Bastogne (Belgium) to discover the Battle of the Bulge. I really should have gone to Normandy to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. However, a day trip is certainly not enough to discover Normandy, and this weekend would have been too crowded especially with President Obama attending the commemorative ceremony. The trip to Bastogne was worth sacrificing a run, which I intended to do in the early evening when I was back from the trip. Unfortunately, I didn't make it home till 9pm and decided to call it a day off. It was probably a good idea too because I've been feeling a little of pain on the right knee the past few days. Despite not getting in a run, I did do a lot of walking. I walked a good portion of the battle ground which Easy Company (Band of Brothers) occupied, and even saw many of the still-existing foxholes they crouched in during battle.




Today, I did two runs; a morning long run of 17 miles and an easy 5 miles in the late afternoon. The knee didn't bother me at all during the runs. But I feel some twinges here and there when I sit motionless. I'm icing it and taking vitamin I.

1-7 June

Mon: AM - 8M @ 6:59 pace including 8 x 13-sec hill sprints; PM - 4.2M @ 7:06 pace
Tues: 9.1M @ 6:39 pace including 8 x 2' @ 5k-10k pace w/ 1' easy
Wed: 12M @ 6:56 pace
Thur: 9M @ 6:59 pace
Fri: 10M including 2 x 2-mile tempo intervals; 10:47 (5:18, 5:29), 10:37 (5:19, 5:18 )
Sat: DNR
Sun: AM - 17M @ 6:43 pace; PM - 5M @ 6:56 pace

Weekly Total: 74.3 miles

Suck it up

I felt very sluggish when I started out my run; legs a little heavy, HR was too high (151) at a slow pace and the motivation to run at tempo pace just wasn't in me. Thoughts of sacrificing the planned tempo interval workout (2 x 2 miles) for an easy run crossed my mind. But then I thought about the famous military slang "suck it up". I did just that. After a three mile warmup and a couple strides, I set out on a half-mile grass loop on a sports field for the 2-mile tempo intervals. I ran at a effort which felt around 5k-10k pace. The planned recovery between the tempo interval was 2 minutes of very easy running, but then I changed it to however long it took me to get the HR down to 65%. It took an additional 12 seconds (2:12). Splits for the tempo interval below. It was a good workout after feeling like crap early on.

10:47 (5:18, 5:29); HR (171/175)
10:37 (5:19, 5:18 ); HR (172/173)

Today: 10M including 2 x 2-mile tempo intervals
Thur: 9M @ 6:59 pace

Guilty.....Not!

At first I felt a little guilty because I chose not to attend a hosted dinner, which was part of a 3-day work conference, in order to get in my run. The original plan was to get up early and out the door by 5am for my run, so that I can attend tonight's dinner. However, when the alarm sounded at 0445, I chickened out and decided to sleep in till 6am. At 1930 (7:30 pm), I was out of my Army dress uniform and into some running gear for an easy 12-miler. The run felt very comfortable with the HR averaging 146. One thing for sure is that I did not feel guilty after I finished my run.

Today: 12M @ 6:56 pace

Fartlek

I managed to get in my run before starting a long day at work. I did a fartlek workout of 8 x 2 minutes at approximately 5k-10k effort with 1 minute easy for recovery. During the recovery portion I monitored my percentage of max HR to see how low it would get. The max HR percentage got as low as 65-67% for the first five repeats and only 69-71% for the remaining three. Obviously, it would have taken me over a minute to get down to 65% for the last few repeats, but that wasn't the point of the workout. Good tough workout overall. I suggest you try this fartlek workout if you have never done so before.

It will be very difficult to get in a run tomorrow. It comes down to whether I want to run at 5am or 8-9pm. No running is not an option.

Today: 9.1M @ 6:39 pace including 8 x 2' w/ 1' easy

Day off = Rest, Relax, Run

Had a day off (Whit Monday) from work, so I took advantage of it by sleeping in longer than normal and getting in a couple runs. I woke up at 0830 (got in a whopping 9.5 hrs of sleep) and was out the door at 9 for an easy 8 miles. At 6.5 miles into the run, I stopped at the base of a steep hill for some hill sprints. I did 8 x 13-second hill sprints. Later in the afternoon I went out for another easy run and followed it up with some core exercises. The next couple days might be tough for me to get in some quality running as I'll be working early and getting off late.

Today: AM - 8M @ 6:59 pace including 8 x 13-sec hill sprints; PM - 4.2M @ 7:06 pace

25-31 May

Mon: 8.3M @ 7:06 pace including 5 x hill sprints (12 seconds)
Tues: AM - 4.2M @ 7:21 pace; PM - 9M including 5x300 + 4x500 + 5x300
Wed: 10M @ 7:02 pace
Thur: Noon - 8.5M @ 7:06 pace; PM - 4.2M @ 7:12 pace
Fri: 12M including 2 x 2.5M tempo intervals; 13:51 (5:33, 5:35, 2:43), 13:42 (5:30, 5:32, 2:40)
Sat: 7M @ 6:58 pace
Sun: 15M @ 6:41 pace with last 4 miles moderate (6:25, 6:16, 6:10, 6:10)

Weekly Total: 78.2 miles

Back on track

First short interval speed session on the track with my Dutch running friends in what seemed like ages. The workout was 5 x 300 + 4 x 500 + 5 x 300, all with 200 meters recovery. Before heading to the track I checked Daniel's Running Formula book for my training pace(s). Based on my recent marathon result, I should be running the short repititions in: 35 seconds for 200 meters and 71 seconds for 400 meters. I really didn't expect much from the legs since it was just my first time back on the track for some leg turnover. The legs and body felt great the entire workout and I never felt like I was running at an all out effort. Here are the splits for the workout:

5 x 300 (54, 51, 52, 50, & 51)
4 x 500 (1:30, 1:31, 1:29, & 1:29)
5 x 300 (51, 52, 50, 51, & 51)

On the 300s I came through the 200 mark in 33-34, and for the 500s I came through the 400 mark in 71s.

Today: AM - 4.2M @ 7:21 pace; PM - 9M including 5x300 + 4x500 + 5x300
Mon: 8.3M @ 7:06 pace including 5 x hill sprints (12 seconds)

18-24 May

First full week of training following marathon recovery.

Mon: 7.25M @ 7:03 pace
Tues: 9M @ 6:54 pace including 10 x 30 sec. w/ 1' easy
Wed: 10M @ 7:07 pace
Thur: 10M @ 6:45 pace
Fri: 9.3M progression run; 50' easy then 10' faster (1.8M @ 5:33 pace)
Sat: 6.5M @ 6:57 pace
Sun: 14M @ 6:42 pace with last 3 miles moderate (6:20, 6:15, 6:15)

Weekly Total: 66 miles

Berlin sold out

Luckily, I made an early decision on Berlin and registered when I did, because the marathon sold out as of yesterday, exactly four months prior to race day. It was also announced that Haile Gebrselassie will once again run Berlin and try to break his own marathon world record. Insane!

Interesting stats on my last couple runs. I ran an easy 10 miles yesterday and today; different course/route, but the terrain/elevation about the same. On Wednesday's run, which I ran alone, I averaged 7:07 pace and 150 HR. In today's run, which I ran with my speedy friend Jurgen, I ran almost 4 minutes faster (:22 sec/mile faster) but still averaged the same HR (150). Both runs felt aerobically easy and good. Sometimes I wonder about the human body.

Date	Dist	Time	Pace	Avg HR
20-May	10M	1:11:13	7:07	150
21-May	10M	1:07:30	6:45	150

Back to life

Marathon recovery is complete and now it's time to get back to training. I'll slowly build the mileage and begin incorporating the key workouts into the weekly schedule. I intend to structure my weekly training similar to that of the last couple marathon training cycles....3 key workouts (fartlek/intervals, tempo/MP runs, & long runs) and the rest easy running. However, this time I will include some hill running, short sprints up a steep hill, on one or two of the easy runs. I didn't waste any time incorporating this as I did 3 x hill sprints at the 5 mile mark of yesterday's 7+ mile easy run. I could tell that the legs and body wasn't used to sprinting up hills because I woke up with some tight buttocks. It's a good thing I'm experiencing the new stress in the early phase. Today's run was a fartlek workout of 10 x :30 seconds with 1 minute easy.

Today: 9M @ 6:54 pace including 10 x 30 sec. w/ 1' easy
Mon: 7.25M @ 7:03 pace

36th real,- BERLIN MARATHON

The decision is made and registration completed. Berlin will be marathon number 11.

Had a nice easy run of 12+ miles this morning. Kept the HR between 65-73% of max heart rate the entire run. Was happy to see the pace drop to 6:40 for the last 7 miles with the HR and effort staying the same. A good sign of fitness with recovery coming to an end.

11-17 May

Mon: 7M @ 7:18 pace; core
Tues: 7M @ 7:11 pace; core
Wed: DNR
Thur: 9M @ 7:03 pace
Fri: 7.2M @ 7:02 pace; core
Sat: 7.1M @ 7:03 pace
Sun: 12.4M @ 6:50 pace

Weekly Total: 49.7 miles

Recovery

Well, I'm in my third and final week of recovery from the marathon and the body is feeling good. Still taking all my runs easy as I want to ensure I recover properly not only from the marathon but also from last week's 10-miler. Was quite impressed that I didn't feel any soreness in the legs after Saturday's race. Yesterday, I took a complete day off from running only because I didn't take one last week (Week 2 of Recovery). To sum up this week so far, I did 7 miles on Mon & Tues, a DNR (did not run) on Wed, and 9 miles today all easy. I'll finish off the week with easy runs capping the mileage right around 48 miles.

4-10 May (Week 2 Recovery)

Mon: 6M @ 7:13 pace; core & stretching
Tues: 5M @ 7:24 pace
Wed: 6M @ 7:07 pace; core & stretching
Thur: 5.1M @ 7:02 pace; core & stretching
Fri: 5.1M @ 7:05 pace ; core & stretching
Sat: 10M Race in 55:14 (5:31 pace); 13.5M total
Sun: 8.6M @ 7:12 pace

Weekly Total: 49.3

Bruggen Ten - 55:14 (PR)

Ran the Bruggen Ten (10-Miles) placing 3rd overall in a new personal best of 55:14. I ran this race because my work asked me early on to run for the team competition. I wasn't expecting much coming out of it because it was only the 2nd week of recovery from the Hamburg Marathon. The legs felt fairly good all week though. I only did short and very easy runs on Monday to Friday (6, 5, 6, 5, & 5 miles).

Briefly about my race. I came across the 1st mile in 5:27 feeling comfortable. Over the next couple miles I worked my way up to 4th place. By the halfway mark (5M in 27:51), I caught and overtook the 3rd runner and could also see the 2nd runner about 150 meters ahead. I kept pressing trying to close the gap from miles 6-8, but only managed to pull back about 50 meters. At 9 miles, the 2nd runner for the first time looked back. I could see and knew at this point that he was just trying to hold on. I slowly reeled him in over the last mile, but it was too late as he crossed the finish about 5 seconds faster than me. 2nd place would have been nice, but I can't complain since it was a PR by over a minute. Our team (JFC Brunssum) took both the Overall and NATO team competition.

1-5M: 27:51
6-10M: 27:23

Next Marathon???

I'm trying to decide which marathon in the Fall to run next. I've narrowed my choices to Berlin, Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) or Eindhoven.

According to my European Marathon Tour plan, Berlin Marathon is next on the list. It is actually my most favorable right now because of its fast course....and I want to run fast, faster than 2:34. Enough said.

I'm also considering Marine Corps Marathon. One might ask why run MCM again. In fact, MCM is the only marathon which I have ran more than once. The first MCM ('03) was my 1st marathon. I ran MCM ('05) a 2nd time as part of the US Army team, which is the only reason I'm considering running it again. 2005 was also the last time Army won the Armed Forces Marathon Championship team competition. It'll be a great feeling to run again in the Army team alongside the fastest runners in our nation's military service.

Eindhoven Marathon. Despite it not being listed on my EMT, I'm choosing Eindhoven as my fall-back marathon. I see myself running this marathon only if I decide not to run Berlin (or if Berlin registration fills up or closes) and I don't get selected to run in the Army team (improbable). Eindhoven Marathon is also fast (course record of 2:07:50) with great crowd support and good weather.

Any suggestions or recommendations?

Recovery

Not a whole lot to write about. Recovery is ongoing. I took 4 days complete off from running following the marathon . On Friday I did a very slow and easy 30 minutes, and then on Saturday did 68 minutes also very easy. On Sunday I did not run, but I did bike about 30 miles on the Dusseldorf Marathon course supporting my friends Susanne Hahn (winner) and Jurgen (pacer for Susanne). Thanks to Susanne's coach and husband, I was fortunate to obtain an official bib, which allowed me to be on the course with my bike following Susanne and Jurgen. Congrats to Susanne on another win and personal best of 2:29:26, a time (sub-2:30) I hope to acheive in the future.

Today was 45 minutes of easy running.

Race Analysis

Mark asked a couple good questions in my last entry. Instead of answering them in the comment section, I've decided to do a post answering his questions with some additional analysis on my training and racing leading to Hamburg Marathon.

(Mark) Did you happen to run the calculator on your predicted marathon? I checked a couple of your PRs and think that Hamburg is a breakthrough.
I did not use a running calculator, but I did refer to the Daniel's Running Formula chart (VDOT values with times raced over popular distances) a few times. I didn't pay much attention to the predictions from my recent results though (1:14:30 half and 33:54 10K), because I knew that I should be running much faster.

I personally don't think Hamburg was a breakthrough marathon for me. My fitness was about the same as Amsterdam by the comparison of some of the same workouts, or maybe slightly better. I had a good chance of running sub-2:35 in Amsterdam, but I made a rookie mistake. In Amsterdam, I felt extremely good at 20K/Half and picked up the pace. My 10K split between 20K-30K in Amsterdam was 36:11 - 5:49 pace (see Amsterdam Race Report). I ended up paying for it in the last 5-7Ks of that race. I certainly wasn't going to make the same mistake of getting over-excited too early. I'd say I applied this lesson-learned very well in Hamburg.

(Mark) Were you going into the race with an expeceted per K\mile pace>?
Yes. The goal pace I had in mind coming into the race was 3:39-40/Km or 5:53-54/mile, basically sub-2:35 marathon. I had practiced this pace in an 8M marathon pace (MP) workout mid-March, a 10M MP workout 3 weeks before and in a half-marathon race the following week. I think the pace was dialed into the legs and body.

On Nutrition
I want to touch on this topic because I believe it was one of the reasons to my success last Sunday. I've learned over the past few marathons that my body needs to take in 4 energy gels instead of 3. More importantly, it matters when (time or distance) I take it in. In Amsterdam I took in 4 gels (10K, 20K, 30K, and somewhere around 38-39K). In that race I ran out of energy in the last 5-7K and by the time I took in my last gel it was a bit too late. In Hamburg I altered my fuel plan where I'd take in my first 2 gels at 10K intervals and then the remaining 2 at 7.5K intervals (10K, 20K, 27.5K, 35K). This turned out perfectly as I never cramped up or felt like I was going to hit the wall. Also, I should mention that I took in fluids at every refreshment station (water and powerade).

On Training
I think my training went fairly well considering the setback (Achilles Tendinitis) I had back in Dec/Jan. Looking back, the training that really carried me along were the races, long MP workouts, and long runs. One of the long runs was too long though; 26 miles in 2:49 (equivalent of a 2:50 marathon - 6:30 pace) instead of 23 miles or 2hr 35min. That run took something out of me, but I recovered from it by cancelling the key workouts and doing easy running. The run also gave me some confidence on my fitness.

More Racing
Comparing the amount of races leading to Amsterdam, this time around I raced more. During Amsterdam train-up I only ran one race (Rotterdam 1/2), which I think was probably my breakthrough race leading to a 2:35 in Amsterdam. Before Hamburg I ran 5 races (3 x 10Ks and 2 x half-marathons). I just wanted to race more. I felt like I had to reward myself from all the training by running more races. The problem was that my races were subpar, even the new 10K PR. I thought I was ready to run low to sub-1:13 for the half and mid to low-33s for 10K. I think my Hamburg result proves it.

Hamburg Marathon - Race Report

PERFECT. The word that best describes my Hamburg Marathon, despite having thoughts of dropping out when I started to feel some slight pain on my right achilles and right knee (more on this below).

Hamburg did not disappoint. The weather was near perfect (overcast, ~58 degrees at the start and almost no wind), the course was fast (probably not as fast London, Berlin, Chicago, Rotterdam & Amsterdam though), and the crowd support was simply AMAZING.

Pre-RACE: The last week of taper leading to race-day went fairly well. I only did short easy runs, with the exception of Tuesday's tune-up workout, to freshen up the legs. I even took a complete day off (Friday), which I normally don't do. The day off and lower-than-normal prerace mileage (30 miles) was actually me being extra cautious with the right knee, which I refused to mention in the post leading to the race. To be brief, I felt some twinges in the right knee on Monday, mostly before and after the run. The knee felt fine on Tuesday's tune-up workout, but the slight pain came back again on Wednesday. A massage on Wed night and icing made the knee feel better. To ensure extra healing I decided to take Friday completely off from running. On Saturday, I went for a slow easy 30 minute jog. For the rest of the day I mostly stayed off of the legs. I rested (midday nap and a flawless 7 hours of sleep), ate lots of pasta (lunch & dinner) and watched TV and Gladiator. I was ready to go, but still worried about the knee eventhough I wasn't feeling any pain.

On race morning I stayed in my hotel, 200 meters from the start/finish, until about 30 minutes before the start. I don't do much of a warmup for a marathon; about 5 minutes of jogging and then some stretching is all I do, as I like to save all my energy for the race. Most of the warmup is done in the first couple miles anyways.

RACE: When the gun went off I didn't worry too much about a group as it would take a few kilometers to settle in. After a first Km of 3:37 (5:49 pace), I slowed the pace a bit splitting 2K (slight gradual incline) in 3:50. At this point I finally felt like I was running at the right effort, so I latched on to a pack of about six. We came across 5K at 18:29. The same pack ran together for the next 5K reaching 10K (1st energy gel) in 36:43. One by one the guys in this pack started to back off of the pace over the next few kilometer. I felt very comfortable, so I just kept my pace with my eyes set on the next runner or pack of runners in front of me. It seemed as if I picked up my pace and was reeling in runners, but in reality they just kept coming back to me.

Around 17K I was running with a couple guys and could hear them breathing a bit hard. I knew they weren't going to stay with the pace. There was a little wind during this part of the course and I didn't want to slow down, so I decided to pick up the pace to catch the next pack of 3 runners, about 10-20 meters ahead. This resulted in a fast 17K split, 3:34 (5:44 pace).

I caught up to the pack and then "OUCH". I started to feel some pain in my right achilles. The tendon felt stiff. I tried different ways of landing my right foot to prevent the pain. Shortly after that, I started to feel some slight pain on the right knee. I'm not sure if the change in foot strike cause the knee to act up. My original thoughts were "if the knee and achilles continues to hurt then I'm going to drop out at the halfway mark where there is an aid station. Better to drop out and prevent worsening the injury than hobble through another half-marathon." I then started thinking positive telling myself that it's all in the mind; and praying to the Lord to get rid of the pain. I truly believe the Lord was with me. The pain was gone or I had forgotten about it.

At 20K, I took in my 2nd energy gel. I was still running in a pack with 3 other runners, but they all eventually dropped off the pace. Over the next 5K, I picked off a few more runners and could also see a big pack of runners about 100-200 meters ahead with a motorcycle and camera man following. I had my eyes set on the pack and motorcycle. 27.5K - 3rd energy gel.

At around 30K I finally caught the big pack of runners, which consisted of two female elite runners (2nd & 3rd overall). I learned after the race that the camera man was broadcasting live on German TV and had the camera set on the German female Ulrike Maisch, who won the European Marathon Championships in 2006. My goal from this point on was to stay with the group for as long as possible. I must have gotten a little excited at times or wanted some fame because I found myself in front of the pack setting the pace, despite an African male elite there for that reason.

At 35K, I took in my 4th and final energy gel. Most of the pack was still together besides the African female and her pacer pulling away. I reached 40K in 2:26:27 (5:54 pace) and still feeling okay, but certainly tiring. In the last kilometer, Ulrike and the rest of the pack picked up the pace and I found myself hanging on for dear life finishing in 2:34:33, a new personal best and by far the best marathon I have executed. I was quite shocked to see that I ran the last 200 meters in 39 seconds. Official and Unofficial splits below.

Video coverage at 20K, half, 30K, 40K and finish here.

Click on photo for larger view.

Hamburg Marathon - 2:34:33 (PR)

Ran 2:34:33 setting a new personal best by a little over a minute and breaking my Guam national marathon record. Half splits were 1:17:16 & 1:17:17. Results here or you can click here to go directly to my results and splits. Race report to follow soon.

Hamburg - Bib #: 7200

All that remains is a few more days of short easy running to keep the legs loose. Yesterday was my last tune-up workout, 1K cruise intervals to keep the legs from feeling stale. I did 4 repeats (3:20, 3:19, 3:17, & 3:17) and felt pretty comfortable on all of them. My biggest concern on Sunday will be the weather. I'm hoping it will not be warm. Bib number is 7200.

Tapering - Week 1 of 2 complete

I like my Sunday runs because I get to run by the bisons (bulls, cows or whatever you call them), which for some reason are normally hanging out a few meters from the running path. Each time I pass by them I seem to think that I'll get attacked. The bisons have free range and can cross the cycle/running path to get to the other fields. Luckily though, these bisons are tagged and tamed, but there's no telling what's on their mind at any given time. The run was easy and uneventful, 13 miles at 6:50 pace and 72% of max HR. The legs and body felt very good. I'm starting to feel the energy building with 7 days to go.

Good luck to the folks running Boston.

10 days till Hamburg

The taper phase is in full force, and in all honesty, I'm enjoying it. I took the last 3 days pretty easy with some strides following Tuesday's run. Today, I did a tempo interval workout of 3 x 2K to keep a little stamina in the legs. Ran the first 2K in 6:56, which felt like a stroll. The remaining two were each 6 seconds faster in 6:50 and 6:44. In the last 2K, I was delighted to see 81 seconds lap after lap and still feel quite comfortable. Now, it's just a matter of keeping things easy and getting to the start line.

Marathon simulation

Last Sunday's unplanned 26 mile long run certainly took a little on the body, especially with a 10-mile marathon pace run two days prior. To ensure I recovered from it, I only did easy running from Monday to Friday.

Today, I did the Paderborner Half-Marathon. The intent of the race was to simulate marathon race day; get the feeling of marathon pace while practicing taking in my gels and fluids. The race started at 3pm, which I thought was quite late in the day. Temperature was very warm at 75 degrees. Ran 1:16:56, about 30 seconds faster than where I want to be at the halfway mark in Hamburg. The pace felt good and comfortable, but the HR was probably a tad higher than I think it should be for marathon pace, but I'd say it was mainly because of the warm temps. I'm just praying that the weather in two weeks will be 10-15 degrees cooler. Time to begin the two-week taper.

Unplanned 26 miles for the long run

You can call me an idiot for miscalculating my run route in today's long run. The plan was to run 23 miles or the amount of time I anticipate to finish the marathon in. Well, the planned 23 miles unintentionally turned into 26 miles (.2 short of the marathon). I totally forgot that I ran a 3-mile loop around my neighborhood before stopping at my doorstep to pick up my water bottle and heading for my usual Sunday route, the cycle paths on the Netherlands/Germany border. After picking up my water bottle, all I had in mind was that I had to do 11.5 miles out and back. It wasn't until the 17th mile and on my way back that I remembered I ran a 3-mile loop to start off the run. I tried to think of an alternate route back home to prevent running 26 miles, but it really didn't matter because it would all end up around the same distance. Despite running longer, I felt very good the entire run and was quite happy to see the pace consistently under 6:30 for the last 12 miles. Below are the splits (uploaded to my Garmin Training Center) for the run. 26 miles in 2:49. Good end to a high mileage week (~106 miles).

30 Mar - 5 Apr

Mon: Noon - 10.7M @ 6:53 pace; PM - 4M @ 7:33 pace
Tues: Noon - 6.6M @ 6:57 pace; PM - 8M including 4 x 1200m (4:02, 4:01, 3:57, & 3:56)
Wed: Noon - 10.8M @ 6:52 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:10 pace
Thur: 9.5M @ 6:52 pace
Fri: Noon - 4.2M @ 7:12 pace; PM - 14M including 10 @ MP (58:42 - 5:52 pace)
Sat: 7.1M @ 7:04 pace
Sun: 26M @ 6:30 pace

Weekly Total: ~ 106 miles

A good day of training

Had an excellent day of training today. At noon I did 30 minutes of easy running followed by some core exercises. Four hours later I was back on my feet for the key workout of the day, 14 miles with the middle 10 at marathon pace. Ran the workout on the track because I wanted to monitor my pace at accurate distances. The goal pace for the workout was 5:52-5:54 pace (5:50-5:52/1600m or 4 laps) or 3:39-40/km. I actually focused more on the min/km pace because like all races here in Europe the split markers are in Km. I was practically dead on with the pace in every kilometer and mile (splits below). The workout itself was extremely tough on the mind, trying to stay focus lap after lap. When I got to 5 miles (8km to be exact) I couldn't believe that I still had another 20 laps to go. The legs started to feel a little fatigue with 2 miles remaining. Interestingly though, those last 2 miles were the fastest. After completing the 40th lap I continued on for another 100 meters to officially make it 10 miles at marathon pace. 10 miles in 58:42 (5:52 pace; 3:39/km). This is a good sign of fitness considering the mileage in the legs (58 miles prior to the workout).

Mile / 1600m split / Mile pace equivalent
1 - 5:50 (5:52)
2 - 5:51 (5:53)
3 - 5:51 (5:53)
4 - 5:51 (5:53)
5 - 5:50 (5:52)
6 - 5:50 (5:52)
7 - 5:49 (5:51)
8 - 5:50 (5:52)
9 - 5:49 (5:51)
10 - 5:49 (5:51)

Back to training

I did not experience any DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) following Sunday's 10K race. This is a good sign and shows that the legs are accustomed to the amount of stress exerted on the leg muscles.

This week will be a high mileage week with a key marathon pace run on Friday. Yesterday during lunch time I ran 10.7 miles with Jurgen. We averaged 6:53 pace, which felt fine but was probably a bit too fast the day after a 10K race. In the evening I did an easy 4-miler in 30 minutes. Today was another two-a-day with an easy 6.6 miles at lunch and 8 miles including 4 x 1200 tonight at the track. My Dutch friend Paul, who ran 32:49 on Sunday, and I ran the 1200s together but not too hard. We ran the repeats in 4:02, 4:01, 3:57, & 3:56. I was surprised that the pace felt quite comfortable.

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Last week's training:

Mon: 9.3M @ 7:00 pace
Tues: 11.2M @ 6:43 pace
Wed: 10.2M @ 6:42 pace including 2 x 3-2-1 + 3 x :30
Thur: 9.4M @ 6:56 pace
Fri: 7.7M @ 6:48 pace
Sat: 4.5M @ 7:29 pace
Sun: Parelloop Brunssum 10K Top Run - 33:54; 13.5M total

Weekly Total: 65.8 miles

10K PR

The Parelloop 10K Top Run was a successful event today as Kenyan Micah Kogo broke Haile Gebrselassie's 10K Road World Record by 1 second, 27:01. Amazing feat and incredible time, especially that he was running alone after 7Ks.

My race today went very well compared to last week's sub-par performance at the Venloop Half-Marathon, . I successfully dipped under 34 minutes running 33:54, a new 10K PR. If it wasn't for the few gradual inclines, then I think I could have been in the mid-33s.

The Race: When the gun went off I immediately tagged along to a small pack of about four female elites. We stayed together till about 2.5K when we ascended a small gradual incline. A couple females were dropped by the time we got to the top of the incline. At 3K, one of the two remaining females broke away like a slingshot. It was then just me and an Ethiopian female (I knew she was an Ethiopian only after I saw the results) running together from the early pack. We were running side by side for about one kilometer, then she decided to tuck right behind me. I tried to get her to do some of the pacing by moving right and left, but she would continue to follow my footsteps. After doing all the work for about 4 kilometers, she decided to move to the front and then picked up the pace. "Damn you!". I struggled a bit to stay with her, but always kept within 5 meters of her. At 9K, we caught the Kenyan female who broke away at 3K and managed to put a small gap on her. With about 400 meters to go, the Ethiopian female surged and tried to pull away from me. My thoughts at this point was that I was not going to let her beat me after doing almost all of the work. With about 100 meters to the finish I saw the clock read 33:41...42...43. I knew breaking 34 minutes was going to be very close, so I gave what I had left and crossed the finish in a gun time of 33:59 (net time: 33:54). I am happy not only about the time and PR, but the fact that it gives me confidence on my way to Hamburg.

5K splits: 16:48 / 17:06

10K Top Run on Sunday

Sunday is the Parelloop Brunssum, in which I'll take part in the 10K Top Run. The 10K Top Run is the main event and is an invite-only race consisting of elite runners. Of course I'm not an elite or even sub-elite runner, but I was invited to run in the event by the organizer, so I'm definitely not turning it down. This will be a perfect opportunity for me to update my 10K PR, which is incorrect on the runners' list. The course is somewhat fast but has a few gradual inclines, so acheiving a personal best will be some task. Also, the legs aren't feeling all that fresh after running 9, 11, 10 (including fartlek) & 9 miles following Sunday's half-marathon. I hope the next couple days of short and very easy running will freshen up the legs

Today: 9.4M @ 6:56 pace
Wed: 10.2M @ 6:42 pace including 2 x 3-2-1 + 3 x :30
Tues: 11.2M @ 6:43 pace
Mon: 9.3M @ 7:00 pace

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Last week's training summary:

Mon: 11.2M @ 6:48 pace
Tues: Noon - 6.2M @ 6:53 pace; PM - 6M @ 7:04 pace
Wed: Noon - 4.1M @ 7:12 pace; PM - 7.6M including 5 x 1K (3:16, 3:08, 3:13, 3:10, & 3:10)
Thur: 8.1M @ 6:52 pace
Fri: 9.3M @ 6:50 pace
Sat: 4.7 @ 6:56 pace
Sun: Venloop Half-Marathon - 1:14:30; 17.6M total

Weekly Total: 74.8 miles

Venloop Half-Marathon

Venloop Half-Marathon: 1:14:30, 52nd Place.

My race didn't go as well as I had hoped for. I woke up Friday morning with a slight cold which I still have. Not exactly sure if it had affected my race though. I never felt good and ran the last 15k on my own. There was also a lot of wind and turns on the course. Overall, I'm satisfied with the performance. Splits below:

5k - 17:06 (17:06)
10k - 34:50 (17:44)
15k - 52:48 (17:58)
20k - 1:10:41 (17:53)
Finish - 1:14:33 / 1:14:30 (net)

Tuning up for Sunday

I'm running a half-marathon on Sunday, so I pushed my normal Tuesday track workout a day later and will skip out on Friday's key workout to give the legs a little taper. The workout tonight was 5 x 1K, which was supposed to be at cruise interval pace (5:15 pace or 3:16/km). The first repeat went as planned as I was dead on at 3:16. On the next one, I was way too fast hitting the first lap in 72 seconds. I slowed the pace on the 2nd lap but still finished faster than I should have, 2nd repeat was 3:08. The last three repeats were 3:13, 3:10, & 3:10. I was not too happy at the end of the workout because the plan was to be right around 3:15-3:16. The good thing though is that the pace felt comfortably hard. Maybe it's a sign of improved fitness. I'll see come Sunday.

Today: Noon - 4.1M @ 7:12 pace; PM - 7.6M including 5 x 1K (3:16, 3:08, 3:13, 3:10, & 3:10)
Tues: Noon - 6.2M @ 6:53 pace; PM - 6M @ 7:04 pace
Mon: 11.2M @ 6:49 pace

Training: 9-15 Mar

Steady 20.6 mile long run with my friends Jurgen and Marcus. We ran the first 10 easy in 1:10:20 (7:02 pace) as Jurgen had baby-jogger duties pushing Marcus' twins. At 10 miles, the baby-jogger was handed back to Marcus. Jurgen and I then went on for the remainder of the run finishing the last 10.6 miles in 1:08:37 (6:28 pace). Overall pace for the long run was 6:45 with an average HR of 142. A good run to end the week. The mileage for this coming week will be a bit lower as I'll do a short taper for Sunday's half-marathon.

9-15 Mar

Mon: Noon - 7.6M @ 6:59 pace; PM - 5.5M @ 7:27 pace
Tues: Noon - 11M @ 6:39 pace including 3 x 3-2-1 w/ -1' easy; PM - 4M very easy @ 8:10 pace
Wed: 9.1M @ 7:00 pace
Thur: 5M @ 7:25 pace; felt very fatigue
Fri: Noon - 5.1M @ 7:04 pace; PM - 12.2M including 8 miles @ goal MP (5:52, 5:52, 5:53, 5:49, 5:46, 5:52, 5:47, & 5:49 (46:40 - 5:50 pace))
Sat: 8M @ 7:01 pace
Sun: 20.6M @ 6:45 pace

Weekly Total: 88.1 miles

Marathon Pace Workout

Thursday was probably the worst my body has felt in a while, aside from when I was injured. When I went for a short easy 5-mile run yesterday morning the body and legs just felt totally fatigued. The planned training for that day was an easy 5 in the morning and then an easy 5-7 miles in the evening. I decided to skip the evening run to get in some well-needed rest. It was a good decision on my part because I felt much better in today's workout.

During lunch hour I went for an easy 5.1 miles and then did some core exercises immediately after. Four hours later I was back in my running shoes for the planned workout of the day, 12 miles with the middle 6-8 miles at goal marathon pace. I chose to do 8 miles at MP. Time was 46:40 with mile splits at 5:52, 5:52, 5:53, 5:49, 5:46, 5:52, 5:47, & 5:49. The overall average pace was 5:50, which is about 2-4 seconds faster than what I'm considering goal MP. Below is a comparison of today's workout with the same one I did last year on September 19. I was 1 second faster per mile today with 5 miles already in the legs a few hours earlier. A step in the right direction.

13 MAR 09: 5:52, 5:52, 5:53, 5:49, 5:46, 5:52, 5:47, & 5:49 (46:40 - 5:50 pace)
19 SEP 08: 5:52, 5:53, 5:53, 5:49, 5:54, 5:51, 5:48, & 5:45 (46:45 - 5:51 pace)

Miles and Miles

You know that you're in marathon training when the legs never seem to feel fresh. Yesterday was 13.1 miles easy on two runs and today was 15, also on two runs, which included a fartlek workout of 3 x 3-2-1. The next couple days will be easy running to get in the miles and Friday will be a marathon pace workout of 6-8 miles at goal pace.

On a happy note, my shipment of shoes arrived in the mail. A pair of Saucony Grid Tangent 3 and Brook Axiom 3. The funny thing is that I found a new pair of Axiom 3 stored away in the closet today.

Long Run

A good steady long run in poor weather conditions - cold, rainy and windy. Ran the 20-miler in 2:11:10 (6:34 pace). The legs felt sluggish early on, but better as the run progressed. Settled into a nice rhythm about 45 minutes into the run, running 6:20ish-30ish pace for the last 13 miles, which averaged out at 6:24 pace.

2-8 Mar

Mon: AM - 6.5M @ 7:06 pace; PM - 7.5M @ 7:00 pace
Tues: AM - 5.5 @ 7:14 pace; PM - 7.5M including 5 x 1K (3:10, 3:08, 3:11, 3:14, & 3:10)
Wed: 11.1M @ 6:57 pace
Thur: Noon - 8M @ 7:02 pace; PM - 5.5M @ 7:20 pace
Fri: 12M including 3 x 2M tempos 11:06 (5:33, 5:33), 11:01 (5:30, 5:31), & 11:26 (5:38, 5:48)
Sat: 7.7M @ 7:02 pace
Sun: 20M @ 6:34 pace

Weekly Total: 91.3 miles

Bricks

Lately, the legs have been feeling like bricks. I'm not too concern though because it's expected when doing marathon training. Yesterday, I ran 12 which included 3 x 2 mile tempos at half-marathon pace. The first two were good with an 11:06 (5:33, 5:33) and 11:01 (5:30, 5:31); however, when it came to the last one the legs were pretty much finished. Ran the last one in 11:26 (5:38, 5:48). I thought about calling it quits after a 5:38 mile, but decided to just roll with it regardless of the time. Today was an easy 7+ miles discovering some new running routes from my house to Germany for tomorrow's 20-miler. I just hope the legs are up for it.

Training: 2-4 Mar.

Did a track workout last night consisting of 5 x 1000m with goal splits at 3:08-10 (5:03-06 pace). Splits ended up at 3:10, 3:08, 3:11, 3:14, & 3:10. I'd say the workout went okay. The legs were flat even before I started the workout, probably from the 20-miler on Sunday, 14 on Monday and 5+ that morning. I'm not sure what to think of this workout when comparing it to a similar workout I did back in August during Amsterdam marathon training. Hard to believe that I ran much faster and the workout was 1200, 1k, 1200, 1k, 1200.

Today: 11.1M @ 6:57 pace
Tues: AM: 5.5 @ 7:14 pace; PM - 7.5M including 5 x 1K (3:10, 3:08, 3:11, 3:14, & 3:10)
Mon: AM - 6.5M @ 7:06 pace; PM - 7.5M @ 7:00 pace

Hamburg in 8 Weeks

Did 20 miles averaging 6:36 pace to cap off a good week of training. Ran the first 10 miles at 6:49 pace feeling very comfortable. I then did 6 x 2 minutes at approximately marathon pace minus 5-10 seconds (5:45 - 5:52 pace), which brought me right at 14 miles. I then finished off the remaining 6 miles steady at 6:28 pace.

So, why a 20-miler and 90+ miles for the week when I mentioned two Sundays ago that I won't be running a marathon? Well, on Friday evening, I unexpectedly registered for the Hamburg Marathon in Germany on April 26. Was looking back at last year's training log and realized that I only did a 12-week marathon training schedule when I set PRs in the half-marathon (Rotterdam) and marathon (Amsterdam). I figured that with the last 4 weeks of training, which went considerably well, and the next 8 weeks till April 26, it will also put me at a 12-week marathon training. With Hamburg Marathon being a flat and fast course, it will be an opportunity to run faster than 2:35. I'll see what the marathon fitness is like when I run my next race in 3 weeks, the Venlo Half-Marathon.

23 Feb - 1 Mar

Mon: AM - 9.6M @ 6:58 pace; PM - 4.5M easy @ 7:12 pace
Tues: Noon - 10M @ 6:43 pace including 12 x 1' hard/easy; PM - 5.1 very easy @ 7:28 pace
Wed: 10M @ 6:55 pace
Thur: Noon - 8.6M @ 6:51 pace; PM - 5.5M @ 7:18 pace
Fri: 11.2M including 2 x 3-mile tempo 16:43 (5:37, 5:32, 5:34), 1635 (5:33, 5:32, 5:30)
Sat: 7.1M @ 6:58 pace
Sun: 20M @ 6:36 pace including 6 x 2' @ MP minus 5-10 sec w/ 2' easy

Weekly Total: 91.6 miles

Mentally tough

The legs felt a little flat during the 2 x 3-mile tempo workout tonight. It may have been from the combination of miles in the legs (53 miles in the last 4 days) and cycling for 25 minutes on the bike during lunch today. After a 2.5 mile warm-up I went straight into the first 3-mile tempo. The goal was to run at half-marathon goal pace, which I'm considering 5:33-34 pace (sub-1:13). I ran the first 3M tempo in 16:43 (5:37, 5:32, 5:34). It felt like I put in a bit more effort than what the time reflected, maybe because of the windy conditions. The 2nd tempo was much better at 16:35 (5:33, 5:32, 5:30). I honestly thought about stopping at 2 miles on the 2nd tempo because I was feeling tired, cardio-wise and fatigue in the legs. Obviously, I overcame the mental challenge as the last mile was the fastest of the workout. It was a good and mentally tough workout.

Today: Noon - 25' bike and core exercises; PM - 11.2M including 2 x 3-mile tempo (16:43, 1635)
Thurs: Noon - 8.6M @ 6:51 pace; PM - 5.5M @ 7:18 pace
Wed: 10M @ 6:55 pace

Parelloop

With a hard effort on last Saturday's race, a 2-hour run on Sunday and a total of 14 miles on two runs yesterday, my plan today was to run easy for an hour. However, about 30 minutes into the run I was quite surprised with how the legs were feeling. They felt good considering the amount of mileage in them over the past few days. Out of nowhere I decided to do a fartlek workout of 1-minute hard/easy. Well, not necessarily out of nowhere as this was really the scheduled workout with the intention of running it on Wednesday. I had in mind 10 reps, but ended up doing 12. I certainly felt like I could do more but did not want to overdue it. Tonight's run was a very easy 5 miler.

On the same topic of running, but different area, I'm playing Agent for my German running friends Jurgen and Silke. I submitted their information for the upcoming world-class event, the Brunssum Parelloop, which is basically in my backyard. I say world-class event because the 10K Top Run, the main event, is an invitation-only event consisting of world-class runners. Sammy Kipketer (2001) and Lornah Kiplagat (2004) have both set world records in the event. Last year, three Kenyans broke 28 minutes with Moses Masai taking top honors. I'm looking forward to this race as this will probably be my one and only elite competition in which I've been invited to run in.

Today: Noon - 10M @ 6:43 pace including 12 x 1' hard/easy; PM - 5.1 very easy @ 7:28 pace
Mon: AM - 9.6M @ 6:58 pace; PM - 4.5M easy @ 7:12 pace

2-hr Language Course

I ended the week with an easy 2 hour run with my German friends. Actually, I prefer to say it was a 2 hour English/German language lesson. On a scale of 1 to 4, Jurgen speaks english at a 3 and Marcus at a 2. On the other hand, I speak German at a 0 (zero). Poor Jurgen ended up being the translator for me and Marcel. He also became the baby-jogger pusher for most of the run. Marcel took his 7-month twin boys out on the baby-jogger to join us. Amazingly they slept during the entire 2hr run. I actually experienced for a few miles what it's like to push a baby jogger. I hope it wasn't a sign of what's to come. We avg'd a nice and easy 7:21 pace for the run.

16-22 Feb

Mon: Noon - 9.2M @ 6:58 pace; PM - 5.1M @ 7:31 pace
Tues: 9.5M including 3 x 2K (6:38, 6:39, & 6:41)
Wed: Noon - 9.2M @ 6:52 pace; PM - 5M @ 7:22 pace
Thur: Noon - 7M @ 7:02 pace; PM - 4.2M @ 7:38 pace
Fri: 5M @ 7:18 pace
Sat: 12.5M including 10K race in 34:15 (5:31 pace)
Sun: 16.8M @ 7:21 pace

Weekly Total: 83.5 miles

10K Race

Ran a 10k race in Hardt (GE) with my German friend and co-worker Jurgen. The main goal of the race was to run hard and determine where I'm at with my current fitness. I was actually unsure whether I should even run the race because for some reason my right hamstring was very tight and feeling problematic on Friday morning. It seemed as if there was a knot in the middle of the right hamstring. At lunch time I went for an easy 5 miles and the hamstring felt okay, but certainly not 100%. Thanks to my massage therapist, who managed to squeeze me in her schedule for a 30 min massage, the hamstring felt much better and I gave the race a go.

This 10k race in Germany has a history of drawing some fast runners within the area. Looking at past results the top 10 runners consistently run sub-35. So, I definitely knew there would be a good group of runners for me to run with. The gun went off and my speedy friend Jurgen immediately took off like he was shot out from a cannon. Noone dared to follow him. Jurgen ran alone the entire race finishing 1st in 31:50.

I hit 1K in 3:15 (5:14 pace) with a pack of 9 runners. It must have been a bit too fast for all of us because we decided to pull back on the pace hitting 2k in 6:42. At 5k, which I came across in 16:56, the pack was down to 6 runners. The pace seemed to be slowing around 6k. Feeling pretty good at this point I decided to move to the front and push the pace a bit. I led the pack through the next 2.5k's. I'm not sure if this was a smart move on my part because at 9k the guys picked up the pace and I was unable to respond. I finished in 7th place overall with a time of 34:15. Despite the course being well marked, I did not take down my splits, except for the first couple kilometers and the 5k mark. Overall, I am quite satisfied with my performance and finishing time considering the ups and downs of training and being injured. Afterall, it is a 10k PR for me.

10 points

I got shit on, literally, while on my run this evening. I was trotting along at a nice easy pace when, just as I ran by a tree, I felt something drop on my head (was wearing a beanie). At first I thought it was a drop of rain or water from the tree, but then I thought it can't be rain or water because it didn't rain at all today and it shouldn't feel that heavy. I then swiped my right hand (using gloves) on top of my beanie; when I looked at my glove it was bird shit. Couldn't help but laugh. I was just glad that I was wearing my beanie and gloves. There really wasn't a choice because it was 30 degrees. On my way back I made sure not to run under that same tree. That darn bird was probably planning on dropping another bomb on me. I'll give 10 points for a direct hit.

Today's Run: Noon - 9.2M easy @ 6:52 pace; PM - 5M very easy at 7:22 pace
Tues: 9.5M including 3 x 2000m
Mon: Noon - 9.2M easy @ 6:58 pace; PM - 5.1M very easy @ 7:32 pace

Track

Ran at the track tonight with my friend Paul, who had 3 x 3000m on the schedule. I really didn't feel like running that long of intervals, so I decided to do 3 x 2000m instead. I ran with Paul for the first 2000m, my first repeat, and then we ran on our own for the remainder of our workout. The plan was to run 6:40 for 2km or 80 second laps. I was pretty much on target as I hit the workout in 6:38, 6:39, & 6:41. I was quite happy with the workout considering I ran a total of 18 miles on Sunday and 14+ miles on two runs yesterday. I plan to run a 10k (or maybe a 5k) on Saturday, so Wed-Fri will be easy running.

Training

It was a good week of training and I'm starting to feel like my body is back to its normal self with no persistent pain (knocking on wood). Was able to get in 3 key workout days for the week. Tuesday was 15 x 1' hard/easy, Thursday was a 6-mile tempo run on mixed and rolling terrain of the Brunssumerheide, and today's workout, sort of a combination of Tuesday and Thursday's workout, was 4 miles easy then 15 x 1' hard (5k pace)/easy followed by 2 miles easy and then finishing off with a 2-mile tempo. I was quite happy with today's workout and my feeling afterwards.

Since I'm not training for a marathon I've decided to take a different approach to my Sunday long runs by incorporating some fast-pace running and not going too long. I'll keep the long runs somewhere around 13-17 miles. Here's how the last two weeks of training went:

9-15 Feb

Mon: Noon - 9M easy; PM - 4M easy
Tues: 10M including 15 x 1' hard/easy
Wed: 10.1M easy
Thur: 8.2M including 6-mile tempo in 34:23 (5:44 pace)
Fri: 10.7M easy
Sat: 8M easy
Sun: AM - 13.3M including 15 x 1' hard/easy and 2-mile tempo in 11:14; PM - 4.7M very easy

Weekly Total: 78 miles


2-8 Feb

Mon: 8M easy
Tues: Noon - 5.2M easy; PM - 7.8M including 1 x 3000 (10:10) and 5 x 400 (72, 72, 71, 73, 71) w/ 200 recovery
Wed: Noon - 7.3M easy; PM - 6M very easy
Thur: 9M easy
Fri: 8.7M including 3 x 1-mile (5:45, 5:36, 5:25) w/ .5M easy
Sat: 6M easy
Sun: 13M including 10.8K race on tough and muddy conditions

Weekly Total: 71 miles