Back in the Netherlands

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

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

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

17 July

The mileage is adding up pretty nicely this week, 79 miles on 5 days so far. Yesterday, I ran an easy 9 in the morning and an easy 6 in the late afternoon. Today, I did 5 in the morning and 11, including a workout, as the sun was setting. The workout I did this afternoon was a double pyramid, 1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1, with equal duration for recovery. I ran the 1' @ 3K effort, 2' @ 5K effort, and 3' @ 10K effort. The workout was tough, but satisfying.

Today: AM - 5M easy; PM - 11M including double pyramid workout (1-2-3-2-1-2-3-2-1)
Thur: AM - 9M easy; PM - 6M easy

15 July

Yesterday I completed my first key workout since I arrived on Guam. I did an easy 6 miles in the morning and then 11 miles, which included 3 x 2 miles at half-marathon effort on the track, in the late afternoon. Because of the tough running conditions, 93 degrees, I decided to focus more on effort than pace. I ended up surprising myself running each 2-mile faster: 11:22 (5:43, 5:39), 11:15 (5:39, 5:36) & 11:00 (5:36, 5:24). I took 2 minute rests for recovery in between the 2-miles. It was a good workout, but I was completely empty and dead-tired afterwards.

This morning I ran 11 miles in the sweltering heat, about 97 degress RealFeel. It was so hot that I took in 40 ounces of fluid (20 oz Powerade & 20 oz water) during the 81-minute run. In the late afternoon/early evening, I ran an easy 4 miles on Tumon Beach (see photo below - 5 July post). Just as I was ending the run, I bumped into my running friend Fred, who ran the length of Japan back in 1983. I tagged along with him for 6 miles chatting the entire run, of course, about running. A total of 21 miles for the day.

Today: AM - 11 miles easy; PM - 10M easy
Tues: AM - 6M easy; PM - 11M including 3 x 2-miles @ half-marathon effort

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

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

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