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