My Races
Laan van Meerdervoortloop 2009
Geul Techniekloop 2009 - Juelsminderun 2009
Kadeloop 2009 - Plaspoelpolder Classic 2009
Royal Ten 2009 - Utrecht Marathon 2009
20 van Alphen 2009 - StartbaanRUN 2008
Rabo Robuust Run 2008 - ING Amsterdam Marathon 2008
30 van Almere 2008 - Vlietloop 2008
Juelsminderun 2008 - Kadeloop 2008
Patentrun 2008 - Royal Ten 5km 2008
Leiden Marathon 10km 2008 - Fortis Marathon Rotterdam 2008
CPC Den Haag 2008 - Asselronde 2008
Opschoor Winter Cross 2007 - Zevenheuvelenloop 2007
Hoge Veluweloop 2007 - Fortis Halve Marathon Rotterdam 2007
Tour de Munkebjerg 2007 - Patentrun 2007
Golden Ten Delft 2007 - CPC Den Haag 2007
Laan van Meerdervoort Loop (10k), Den Haag, 1 November 2009
I have beaten the last missing target of those I set last year: Getting under 42 minutes on the 10k. I ran a super race at the Laan van Meerdervoort Loop in The Hague. Nothing looked like it would be good conditions for fast running. The weather forecasts had predicted rain and strong winds, not exactly the receipt for making records. However, things turned out quite nicely. The wind was not as strong as predicted and further came from a more favourable direction than expected. It did rain a bit, but nothing like a downpour (not until after the race at least). And the weather was mild making the choice of dress easy, short sleeved dress for fast running. In short, the race went very well. Even though I had forgotten the heart rate breast strap at home, thus no heart rate feedback, I was able to run at a very disciplined pace with help from the Garmin. Except for the first kilometer where I was hampered by the crowd I ran at a very constant pace around 4:10/km. It did become a bit tough on the last part but I could maintain the pace and actually increase it a bit towards the finish in an athletics stadium. Result: 41:45, a result I definitely hadn't expected considering my Achilles troubles during the autumn.
Distance: 10 km
Race number: 1519
Result: 0:41:45
All results
Web site: Laan van Meerdervoort Loop
Geul Techniekloop (15k), Vlaardingen, 27 September 2009
After the Achilles problems I decided to give it a test at a 15 km race end September. Due to the lack of training I didn't expect too much, was happy just to be below 1:10. I easily achieved that target ending at 1:08 something, acceptable considering the situation (the weather was also a bit on the hot side that day, especially for late September).
Distance: 15 km
Race number: 942
Result: 1:08:17
All results
Web site: AV Fortuna
Juelsminderun, 8 August 2009
Even though I had got a sore Achilles tendon I decided to start at this half marathon, the tendon didn't feel that bad. I had already registered before the tendon problem surfaced so the money were already spent. The race itself was not anything to be proud of, but that was more due to the high temperatures, about 25°C than the tendon. In particular during the last half of the race I was really suffering due to the heat. A time of 1:41 in a half marathon is way too slow for what I'm used to. I don't think the tendon problem got worse by participating, but the localized pain persisted.
Distance: 21.1 km
Race number: 21174
Result: 1:40:53
All results
Web site: Juelsminderun
Kadeloop (12k), Schipluiden, 4 July 2009
This was my second time at this race taking place in the middle of the summer. And summer it was: 24C, sunshine and little wind. This was certainly my hottest race so far and I suffered. My finish time of 52:14 was almost one and a half minute slower than last year. At the first three km I tried to keep the same pace as last year but then I concluded I would probably blow up if I kept running at that pace so I reduced slightly and let the heart rate dictate my pace for the rest of the race. I survived but it was anything but comfortable. At least the competition suffered too. Comparing the result lists the finish times were in general much slower than last year.
Distance: 11.8 km
Race number: 495
Result: 0:52:14
All results
Web site: De Hardloper
Plaspoelpolder Classic, Rijswijk, 14 June 2009
I won a race! Ok, not a big event but non the less. It was the 5k distance of the Plaspoelpolder Classic race held on Sunday, June 14. The race, just a small walk from my work, took place in the Elsenburgerbos forest in which I often do my lunch time trainings at work (and in which the Patentrun (*) is also held). I was a bit aware that I would have a chance of a prize by looking at last years results which indicated that this race didn't exactly attract the world elite. The serious runners would chose the 10 or 15 k distances instead. And so it turned out to be. No real competitors in the 5 km race and I crossed the finish line about 1,5 minutes before the second finisher. I was not running alone, however, as runners of all three distances ran together on a 5 km course. It had been raining all morning but the rain stopped before the start. However, the twisty foot paths in the forest were slippery. One runner (in the 15k race I think) slid out in a sharp corner and ended up in a mud pool. Poor guy. Luckily he was not hurt and could continue in his soiled dress.
(*) Concerning the Patentrun: I didn't participate this year because I became involved in the organisation of the race. Being on duty in the finish area I couldn't participate at the same time.
Distance: 5 km
Race number: 218
Result: 0:20:16
All results
Royal Ten Business Run, The Hague, Sunday, 24 May 2009
Since the marathon things have been a bit quiet with less running than desired. This is mainly due to a knee problem that appeared at the end of April. I believe it is some kind of runner's knee syndrom that is affecting my left knee. During running I feel some persistent pain at the outer side which for a few weeks made me cut my runs short. And I kind of dropped interval training and other speed training completely. It is getting better and today I dared to start in the Royal Ten race in The Hague. It was as part of a team from my employer (actually the Jogging Club), the first time I try to run in a team. Not that it makes that much of a difference during the race, you just give it full power anyway. But you go there with a number of colleagues and have some chatting before the race
The race itself went above expectations, taking my injury period into account. The knee didn't make any complaints today. It was a little bit busy at the start, even though I could start in the business run starting box in front of all the recreational runners. After a few hundred meters I started to get a free run and made a pace around 4:10. This would put me in line for a time of 42 minutes if I could sustain that pace. The course went into Haagse Bos, then onto a large avenue towards the rich residential enclave of Marlot. After a loop in that area we went back along the avenue, past the entrance to the royal residence of Huis ten Bosch, where the queen is living, into the forest once more along the fence of Huis ten Bosch and then back towards the finish. Most of the time I seemed to be on target for a PR on about 42 clean, at least according to my Garmin. Unfortunately I was not quite at the finish when it beeped for 10k. Another 70 meters to go and got a time of 42:22. That is just 3 seconds short of the 10k time in Leiden last year (but I found that distance to be somewhat suspect, today the distance is most likely at least 10 km!).
Our team ended at a very honourable position as the number seven team in the business run. I got the second best result and hence contributed to this result. The best three runners of each team count for calculating the result of the team.
Distance: 10 km
Race number:
Result: 0:42:23
All results
Web site: Royal Ten
Jaarbeurs Utrecht Marathon, Monday, 13 April 2009
PR: 3:27:38 !!!
The Utrecht Marathon was a great success! I improved my personal best by almost 14 minutes.
After the troubles with my heel injury during February I had severe doubts about achieving my goal of 3:30 at this marathon - or even running it. Luckily my foot behaved well from begin March and I was able to do some long slow runs peaking at 30k and 32k with a very much adapted training programme. In February I lost about 100 km of training but did manage to get almost the desired amount in March by increasing the weekly amount fairly steeply (taking the risk of further injuries but it went well). Did the tapering as recommended during the last three weeks and felt quite well. So I was already quite optimistic about reaching my goal.
I decided to pick up my bib on Easter Sunday at the RunningXperience in Utrecht in order to have a relaxed start to the marathon, otherwise I would have had to fetch it at least one hour before the start meaning getting up earlier and worry about possible train delays. The train was on schedule and I actually arrived about an hour before the 10:30 start. The weather was pleasent with sunshine through a thin cirrus cover, temperatures rising to an expected 18 degree C and not much wind. I managed to spot a colleague also participating in the marathon and we did some chatting before the start.
The marathon itself went very much according to plan: Letting the heart rate dictate the pace and trying to put a few minutes "in the bank" for the expected difficult last 12 km. The plan succeeded, crossed the half marathon mark in slightly less than 1:42 (three minutes in the bank) and could still keep a pace well below 5:00/km. The race course took us around the old defences of the city, up to a roundabout and the same way back to the start/finish area of the Jaarbeurs convention centre. From there we continued to the western outskirts of Utrecht, crossing the big canal connecting the Rhine and Amsterdam over a bridge forming the only significant hurdle on the otherwise flat course. We continued along some cosy residential areas along canals with a lot of enthusiastic people around, then through some boring new developments and some open landscapes with fruit tree plantations. Between 31k and 37k we had to do some doubling up having the advantage that you could observe both faster runners before yoe and later on the slower ones. On this part we had a lot of spectators, many of them cheering me with "olé!" as my name like that of all runners was printed on the bib. Nice support!
It became apparent that a number of runners were starting to have problems alternatingly walking and running. The dreaded man with the hammer was starting to seek out his victims. So far I still felt quite ok. After 30 km I myself had to let the pace slip a bit to prevent the heart rate rising too much. From 35 km onwards things weren't really fun anymore - but I had expected that based on my last experience in Rotterdam. The legs were hurting and heavy and I just started longing for the finish line. At this time I knew I could reach the 3:30 unless the infamous man with the hammer should unexpectedly strike hard. But I didn't feel like this happening, only the legs were tired. However, the heat (18-20 deg C) and Sun started to become an issue and although I drank at each refreshment post I was probably starting to dehydrate a bit at this stage (according to my scale at home I lost between 2 and 3 kg during the race). Surprisingly, not everybody seemed to suffer. At around 37km I was overtaken by a small group of runners happily small-talking with each other like they were doing an easy 10k training! On the last few kilometers we had the weak wind in the back providing absolutely no cooling. The last two kilometers were terrible but the approaching finish kept up my mood. Never felt like walking unlike several of my fellow runners. Finally the finish meters turned up lined with an enthusiastic crowd. Crossed the line in 3:27:38 well within my target. Although I didn't feel that terrible after the finish I did get the attention of the First Aid people located there. They cooled me with water and kept an eye on me for a couple of minutes before they let me go.
As expected my walking style afterwards was less than elegant and I didn't hurry to get back to the train. Took my time to get something to eat and drink and to dress to some dry clothes. Even though I spent some time looking for him I failed to spot my colleague. However, it turned out that he had finished in a very respectable 3:54, well within his target of 4 hours. I got a bit of a temperature shock when returning back to The Hague where it was foggy and below 10 degrees! Such a big difference to the summer-like conditions in Utrecht.
Distance: 42.2 km
Race number: 347
Result: 3:27:38 (140/523)
All results
Web site: Jaarbeurs Utrecht Marathon
20 van Alphen, Sunday, 8 March 2009
Today I ran the first race of this year (I had to skip the 30k Groet uit Schoorl race due to my foot). The chosen race was the 20k "20 van Alphen" in Alphen aan den Rijn in the "Green Hart" of Holland. It is considered to be the traditional start of the Dutch road racing season with several international names on the starting list. For me it was mainly a test of my current form. Due to my heel problems I didn't have too high expectations for today. If I just did better than my best 1/2 marathon time from last year I would be satisfied.
The day started not very promising with rain but around noon the sky cleared and the race took place in sunshine. We had some wind and despite the temperature of 9 degree it felt rather chilly. I planned to start in short sleeve shirt and short tight but redressed to long versions before the start. The race course mostly stayed within the town limit so the wind only became a factor on a couple of short stretches. My heel is apparently still not completely healed as I could feel it from the beginning of the race. It never really became a problem, however. I tried to keep a pace slightly slower than my Amsterdam 1/2 Marathon pace from last year. From about 2/3 through the race it became difficult to sustain this pace and my pace started to drop. Definitely not quite as fit as last autumn. The result is 1:32:25 which is ok (especially since my Garmin tells me that the real distance was 20.11 km!). The pace (4:35/k) is comparable to that of the CPC race (1/2M) in March last year indicating my fitness is similar to that of the same time last year. Not bad considering the lost training in February. In top shape I should be able to get below 1:30 on the 20k distance, however.
Distance: 20 km
Race number: 3982
Result: 1:32:25 (74/626)
All results
Web site: De 20 van Alphen
StartbaanRun (10k), Saturday, 13 December 2008
Brrr, that was cold. The good news: It was dry and the Sun was even shining a bit. The bad news: Temperature around zero and a strong southeasterly wind. And that on a runway where there per definition is absolutely no lee. All logistics took place in a big hanger (unheated of course and with one end wide open as the finish line was there). But there was a cosy atmosphere with about 2000 runners etc gathered there. I was quite in doubt what and how much clothes to wear but ended up in three layers, a thin shirt beneath, then a long sleave shirt and finally the white t-shirt (size XL!) everybody got together with the bib. I also wore a long tight and gloves but was freezing my fingers anyway. It helped to do a bit of warming up but my fingers were still ice cold and feelingless. I was a bit late getting to the start area meaning I had to suffer a 20 second penalty at the start since we ran without a chip thus only gross time was recorded. The first part was along a taxiway against the wind but with some threes around so it was not too bad. Then after about one kilometer we reached the runway which had all the lights switched on. With the wind in the back I almost reached take-off speed clocking a fastest lap of 3:58/k. My body also started to heat up and at least I no longer froze my hands. Reaching the other end of the runway 3 kilometer further up we turned around and had the strong wind straight in the face. The pace plummeted and the fun was definitely out of it at this stage. Then after 2k against the wind we turned up along an abolished runway (only a taxiway still there). This time it was 2k with the wind in the back (nice) and the final 2k against the wind (terrible). At least I managed to stay in a group on the last 2k thus getting some shelter. At last we could head for the finish line at the huge door of the hanger. I clocked 42:21 on my Garmin but the official result is 42:43 although I didn't feel it took more than 20 seconds to cross the start line after the gun. Anyway, no official personal best on the 10k but considering the wind and chilly conditions I'm more than happy about the result. After changing to some dry clothes I enjoyed some traditional Dutch pea soup and an 'oliebol' to recover a bit again.
Distance: 10 km
Race number:
Result: 42:43 (96/847 men) (net time: 42:21, self clocked)
All results
Web site: StartbaanRUN
Rabo Robuust Run (Monster Halve Marathon), 9 November 2008
I survived but it was tough. The Rabo Robuust Run (Halve Marathon van Monster) is not without reason counted as one of the most demanding half marathons of the Netherlands. No less than 9k of the race course is over the North Sea beach where runners have to fight wind, water and loose sand. This year it lived up to its reputation with a very stiff head wind from the south.
I arrived by car an hour before the start but then had some difficulties finding a place to park the car. In the sportscenter I got through the registration and got my bib. I was in doubt whether to run in long or short dress as the temperature was only 11 degree C together with a strong wind. But the Sun was shining and I decided it would be sufficient running in short tight and shirt, a decision I didn't regret. About 20 minutes before the start I moved up to the start area in the town center next to the church. The start area was already well filled and I had to start quite far back (a problem since there's no chip timing).
The race started with a "round around the church" passing the start/finish line for a second time after 1,5k, then we headed for Ter Heide and the dunes. The wind was in the back and I was almost flying over the cycle track at a pace of 4:30-4:40/km. Of course, that wind would come back to haunt us on the beach. At the 8k mark we turned down to the beach, crossing some loose sand before finding the wet firm sand in the tidal zone. The tide was retreating leaving some wet spots around, luckyly not enough to get seriously wet shoes, however. The wind was a strong as feared coming from the forward left. It was strong enough to whip up the sand. I tried to join some of the groups forming to get some shelter. But I had problems keeping up with their pace and had to drop off on more occasions and wait for another group to catch up from behind. So I ended up running much of the 9k beach alone draining my energy. My pace plummeted to 5:10-5:20/km. The beach being nearly featureless seemed like it would never end. The distant cranes of Europoort seaport didn't seem to get any closer.
The beach eventually ended but that was actually the worst part. Here we had to cross a few hundred meters through loose sand going uphill towards the dunes. All power was plainly sucked out of my legs before finally reaching the firm surface of the path leading up through the dune. Even though the conditions became very favourable on the last 4k (strong tail wind) it took a bit of time before I got the speed back into the legs. But then my pace went up reaching laps below 4:40 like in the beginning. I didn't give it everything knowing that I was already way off any personal best time, so I just cruised into Monster crossing the finish line in 1:42:49. Net time was 1:42:06 as clocked by my Garmin (no official net time as we ran without chip). Remarkedly, this was the first time I didn't improve my personal best in a race but that had to happen one day.
Distance: 21.1 km
Race number: 605
Result: 1:42:49 (175/514) (net time: 1:42:06, self clocked)
All results
Web site: Rabo Robuust Run
ING Amsterdam Marathon, 19 October 2008 (21.1k)
A new personal success, improved my half marathon time once more, although by only 15 seconds this time. From the beginning I did not really intend to go for an improvement on the 1/2M time as I didn't feel to be in my best shape (but it turned out not to be that bad, after all). So I just started at a comfortable pace with the intention to enjoy this event. But after a few kilometers this "comfortable" pace was actually on target for a new personal best time and I decided to give it a try keeping the same pace. Until about 16 or 17 km I felt reasonable at ease then I had to work harder. The heart rate rose somewhat and my legs started to hurt a bit but my pace didn't suffer (the Garmin mercylessly told me if I had to speed up). The last couple of kilometers were less than enjoyable but the approaching finish in the Olympic Stadium kept up the moral. Approaching the tunnel leading into the stadium I imagined myself carrying the Olympic Torch into the stadium like at the games in 1928. I could still put in a small sprint the last 200 meters up to the finish line. Result 1:34:44 (and then my Garmin even claims the distance to be 21:26k!)
At around the 8k mark I was overtaken by the 1:35 pacer with a tail of runners and I decided to join them. I didn't even know that there were pacers at the half marathon. Anyway, after a couple of kilometers I (or more correctly the Garmin) got the feeling that the pacer was not quite on schedule and I decided to overtake him and his group, never saw them again. At around the same time I started to overtake marathon runners. They had started 3.5 hours before us and being out for more than 4 hours at this time many of them didn't seem to be very comfortable anymore. They would finish in more than 5 hours (my finish time + 3.5h) and the slowest of them most likely didn't make the time limit of 6 hours.
Videos:
13.9k mark (35k mark for marathon runners)
Finish at Olympic Stadium
Distance: 21.1 km (21.26k according to my FR 305)
Race number: 20702
Result: 1:34:44 (620/8155)
All results
Web site: Amsterdam Marathon
De 30 van Almere, 28 September 2008
The weather was perfect, sunshine, 18 deg C and next to no wind. The scene was set for my first 30k race. My plan was to run the race at a constant pace of 4:45/km. This should be a breeze as McMillan predicted a 30k pace of 4:38. Hence, I went away in 4:45/km using the Garmin to monitor the pace. The plan succeeded as I crossed the finish line in 2:21:32 corresponding to 4:43/km. However, this does not tell the full story. The last few kilometers were anything but easy. Where my heart rate had been quite modest until about 27k then it shot upwards into the red zone. The fun was definitely out of it as I felt very discomfortable. I insisted on keeping up the pace and manage to do so. But after the finish I was more devastated than I have ever been before in a race, including the marathon in Rotterdam. And McMillan predicts that I should be able to run a marathon at that pace!? Forget it.
The race course was ok, mostly on bicycle tracks in green areas. It was shared with the 15k runners and therefore had to be run twice. The course was flat except for a number of bridges crossing large canals. The bridge ramps started to feel like large hills at the latter parts of the race although they were only a few meters high.
Distance: 30.0 km (29.76k according to my FR 305)
Race number: 3251
Result: 2:21:31 (71/350 H30)
All results
Web site: De 30 van Almere
Vlietloop (10EM, 16.1k), Voorschoten, 7 September 2008
Today I ran my first 10 miles race. The 10 miles distance is surprisingly popular in metric Netherlands and I found that
it was time to try this "odd" distance. The race took place in the small town of Voorschoten just south of Leiden. Parts of
the course followed the Vliet, the main inland canal connecting Rotterdam, The Hague and Leiden, hence the name of the race.
However, my participation was a bit uncertain. Friday night I started to get the familiar soreness in my throat and nose announcing an upcoming cold. Normally, this means that I have a fully developed cold about two days later, sometimes with fever, so I was not very expectant about racing today. Surely, my nose is running but this morning it was not that bad (no fever or unwellness, just a runny nose) and I decided to start at the race as planned. The poor weather certainly would have given me an excuse to skip the run but I'm from the cold north so a bit of rain and wind isn't going to deter me.
The race went reasonable well, but I was suffering from strained breathing at the latter part of the distance, even though my heart rate was at sub threshold level. In the past the breathing has not been the limiting factor so I'm a bit pussled. Yes, I have a cold but so far it is confined to the nose region. But, I did tighten my Garmin breast strap a bit extra today to make sure it stayed in place. Maybe too tight. Anyway, I made it in 1:11:37 for the 16 km (my Garmin didn't count more than 15,98 km, 100 m short of the nominal distance). This is not a great time, but ok for the conditions with rain, wind, wet tracks and a runny nose.
Distance: 16.1 km (15.98k according to my FR 305)
Race number: 42
Result: 1:11:37 (36/139)
All results
Web site: Vlietloop
Juelsminderun (21.1k), Juelsminde (DK), 9 August 2008
This race took place in Juelsminde, near my native area in Denmark.
I had already planned my holiday to Denmark during early August when I learned about this race held for
the very first time. Didn't hesistate for long before registering :-).
During my stay I kept up my training doing almost 100k in the two weeks up to the race.
We had excellent weather the first week there, then it got wet, very wet with monsoon-like rain on two occasions.
That made the forest tracks somewhat muddy and I chose to stay on roads after the rain started falling.
The training then culminated with the race on Saturday, 9 August. And
I kept the tradition of always improving my personal best. This time I did it in 1:34:59. That is,
I have reached my goal for 2008 of running better than 1:35 on the half marathon distance,
be it with the absolutely minimal margin! It was no easy cruise, especially the third round on
the 7 km long race course was tough and I was really longing for the finish line. I managed to put in a small
sprint and that was just enough to get below the magic 1:35
The race was held for the first time on the occasion of the Danish championships in long triathlon (half Ironman) taking place in Juelsminde the next day. Despite the little bit sour weather with drizzle from time to time, I was there as spectator to see the athletes doing the 1,9k swimming, 90k cycling and the final 1/2 marathon on the same race course as we did the day before. I can nothing but admire the endurance and stamina of those athletes competing for more than 4 hours. I don't envy the trials they have to endure and I prefer to stick to just the running discipline.
Distance: 21.1 km
Race number: 382
Result: 1:34:59 (32/205)
All results
Web site: Juelsminderun
Kadeloop (12k), Schipluiden, 5 July 2008
The Kadeloop is a classical run in the open polderlandscape around Schipluiden southwest of Delft. It is a loved and feared race due to the narrow track on a dike where it is almost impossible to overtake (if you try you may end up in the canal!). This year, in its 30th edition, parts of the race course was actually moved to the parallel bicycle track because the foot path was considered too dangerous, in some places it is only 20 cm wide and hollowed out.
The weather was a bit to the hot side, about 22°C and humid with a bit of light rain. For the first time armed with my new Forerunner I set out at a fairly fast pace of 4:10/km and let my heart rate slowly increase to the planned value, then basically kept it there. It worked well although the latter part of the race was pretty hard. On the first half of the course through the polder we had a bit of head wind and I tried to find in one of the rows of runners that formed in order to minimize wind resistance. The race is a bit strategic as you have to try and find your right position in the field before the narrow parts start as overtaking is difficult. I succeeded in staying with runners that essentially did my speed and I had little need for overtaking (there are some wider parts on and along that dike where it is possible). The pace dropped a bit after 4 km and the almost 5 km on and along the dike went in a pace of 4:20 - 4:25. On the last 0,8 km I could put in a small sprint reaching a pace of 4:01/km up to the finish line. I hadn't expected a very impressive time due to the warm weather and the potential difficulties of the dike path. So a finish time of 50:52 for the 11.83k (according to my Garmin) was more than satisfactory (pace 4:18/km), in line with my recent performance.
On my way home (cycling) I very unexpectedly got cramps in my right calf. This is something I have not experienced for the last 20 years or so. Probably, I was a little bit dehydrated, but still. Very unpleasent feeling. It was pretty painful and I had to stop for a few minutes, stretching a bit and then continue slowly home on the bike. The weather was also not cooperating serving a veritable downpour. At least, the souvenir from the race was very appropriate: A yellow raincoat!
Distance: 11.83 km
Race number: 282
Result: 50:52 (133/678)
All results
Web site: De Hardloper
Patentrun (6 km), 25 June 2008
Distance: 6.05 km
Race number: 13
Result: 25:23 (17/182)
All results
Web site: Amicale Jogging Club
The Hague Royal Ten (5 km), 25 May 2008
Distance: 5 km
Race number: 5317
Result: 19:57 (29/132)
Results 5k
Web site: The Hague Road Runners: Royal Ten
Leiden Marathon (10 km), 18 May 2008
Distance: 10 km
Race number: 2722
Result: 42:19 (124/2246)
Results 10k
Video
Web site: Leiden Marathon
Fortis Marathon Rotterdam, 13 April 2008
Succes! Completed my first marathon!
Report: The big day had finally arrived. The weather was perfect for a marathon. Temperature of about 12 degree C,
only a moderate breeze, some sunshine and dry (although that was a close call as a big hail storm passed
north of Rotterdam during the race). I got up early (for a Sunday morning),
ate breakfast and caught the train to Rotterdam where I
arrived about one and a half hour before the start. So I had plenty of time to find the designated changing facility
(a large gym of a college),
get rid of excess clothes, warm up etc. Outside the gym I met two Danish couples where the ladies turned out
to be the active marathon runners and the husbands just delivering the moral support. We got a small
chat before I moved on to the starting area.
My strategy was simple. Run a constant pace of about 5:10/km for a finish time of about 3h40. I started a little bit slow due to the crowding after the start and because I missed the first two kilometer signs I had no feedback on my speed. After 3k I spotted the first kilometer mark and I could adjust the speed a bit. Until about 25k I felt at ease with a smooth, constant pace run. However, my right hamstring felt a little bit irritated and I started to worry if it would cause problems later. The problem originated from a training the previous Sunday where I had crossed a small steep foot bridge with a couple of powerful steps apparently resulting in what felt like a minor hamstring injury. In the last week before the marathon I scaled back the training even more than originally planned (just two short slow runs) as I continued to have a 'tickling' feeling in that muscle. Luckily, today it behaved well and I forgot about that particular problem after the 30k mark (probably because the rest of my legs were starting to feel pretty painful).
One of the questions for a first time marathon runner is how to deal with liquids. The two big goals were to stay well hydrated and not to upset the stomach in any bad way. I didn't bring any liquids with me relying solely on the water stations along the route. In the beginning I drank just water but from the 15k station I also supplied with the Extran isotonic drink on offer to get a bit of extra energy. By drinking about 3 dl at each water station I managed to stay reasonably hydrated. At least, I didn't suffer any symptoms of dehydration such as cramps. Neither did I get complaints from the stomach. Before the race I had made sure to be well hydrated, actually I should have stopped drinking a bit earlier than I did as some pressure did build up in the bladder shortly after the start.
Around the 25km mark I could feel that my legs were getting a bit heavy and it became more difficult to keep up the pace. Until now everything had gone fine and I was actually 2 minutes ahead of my scheme. From the 30k mark onwards I gradually had to sacrifice a bit of speed as my legs got more tired and painful and I simply couldn't command them to go faster! But luckily I never met the infamous "man-with-the-hammer". My breathing and heart rate stayed pretty controlled and I never really felt bad. Only my legs were hurting. Around me other runners started to walk, suffer from cramps or were just not looking very comfortable. But I went on although at a slower pace that gradually slipped to about 5:40/km. Finally the Coolsingel came in sight and I managed to get the legs going a bit faster the last few meters up to the finish line. I completed my first marathon in 3:41:05, pretty close to the target of 3:40. What a great feeling! To my surprise the Mayor himself was waiting after the line and shaking hands with the finishing runners. Not everyday you are greeted by the mayor of Rotterdam!
As expected my legs were somewhat sore after the run. I walked rather slowly back to the gym, took my time to relax, redress etc and continued slowly (too slowly!) to the station only to see the train leaving. Ok, I had to wait another 1/2 hour for the next connection. The day after I had the classical "marathon" legs. Especially walking down stairs was anything but enjoyable. However after three days the legs were feeling ok again.
All in all a very successful first marathon. I finished in almost the targeted time, avoided injuries or other problems and in general enjoyed it.
More photos: 30 km, 38 km
(courtesy Jan Brandt, Zoetermeer)
Distance: 42.2 km
Race number: 5418
Result: 3:41:05 (2034/6841)
All results (AD)
Web site: Fortis Marathon Rotterdam
City-Pier-City, Den Haag (21.1k), 15 March 2008
I doubted a little bit whether I should register for this local race taking place just 4 weeks before my first marathon. According to my training scheme I should really do a long 30 km long slow distance run in this particular weekend. On the other hand I really wanted to run this half marathon again. It would also be a good test of the current fitness level and I decided to give it a go, promising myself I wouldn't run it at full power.
The weather was excellent with 15 degree C, only a light breeze and mostly cloudy, perfect running weather. That in contrast to the weather in the days around the race where we had strong winds, rain, showers and much lower temperatures. I chose to run in summer dress (short tights and short-sleeve shirt) and it was plenty warm for that. Being a local race I took the tram to the city centre, found the changing tent (very crowded) and made a bit of a walk-around before the start including watching the 10k race that was in progress at that time. The entire area between Malieveld and Central Station was buzzing with people, most of them in running shoes but also many spectators. I entered the start area half an hour before the scheduled start. However, we had to wait another 15 minutes before the start gun (a small canon!) finally fired because the police apparently had some delays in clearing parts of the race course for traffic.
Just like last year the first few kilometres through the city centre were
very crowded. I had to do a lot of zigzagging and other acrobatic
manoeuvres to get around slow runners, in particular business runners
(grrr!) that had started in front of me. Anyway, somehow I managed to get
going at a good speed at which I still felt at ease. The first 5k went in
23:09 which surprised me considering all the two-legged traffic I had to
negotiate. As usual I used my heart rate meter to control my efforts. My
goal was to keep the HR at 148 bpm and for the most of the race it stayed
pretty close to that.
We went down the long straight Laan van Meerdervoort with faster runners
cruising over tram rails, sidewalks and wherever they could get around the
slow crowd, continued up along the wide Segbroeklaan and van
Boetzelaarlaan towards the sea resort of Scheveningen. The Boulevard with
the Pier was next and I could now start to feel my legs a bit but I had no
problems keeping up the pace. Around 16 or 17 km I was still feeling
relatively comfortable and noticed that a personal best was within reach
just by keeping the current pace. It was not my original plan to go for a
PR today but now I decided to get that record so I increased the pace a
bit. The heart rate went into the 150'es but with only a couple of
kilometres home that was no problem. The long straight Koninginnegracht
can be a bit demoralising as it appears never to end but the crowd of
enthusiastic spectators helps carry you along towards the finish. I
increased my pace further and the heart rate was now approaching the red
zone. After a last right turn the finish line came in sight and I cruised
over the line in a personal best time of 1:37:11 beating the old record
from the Rotterdam half marathon by 42 seconds.
I ran a very flat race increasing my pace a bit in the latter part and
without pushing myself to the limit. This compared to last year's race
where I had it difficult on the last few kilometres and finished almost 11
minutes slower than today (that race was my very first half marathon). I
feel that I could have run the half marathon a couple of minutes faster if
I had decided to go fully for it from the beginning. Maybe next year? A
good sign before my first marathon in Rotterdam in April.
Distance: 21.1 km
Race number: 6830
Result: 1:37:11 (666/5765 trim)
All results (AD)
All results (CPC website)
Web site: Fortis City-Pier-City
Midwinter Marathon Apeldoorn (Asselronde 27,5k), 3 Feb. 2008
A well-spent Sunday in some very beautiful surroundings in the Veluwe near the royal palace Het Loo. The weather was almost perfect for a midwinter marathon, dry, sunny but a bit chilly at only 4°C. Some wind but due to the forest mostly not a problem.
I arrived about 10:30am, parked the car and caught one of the shuttle buses bringing runners from the P&R to the starting area. Arrived in the designated changing area I got my lunch (sandwich and fruit) and redressed. I had plenty of spare time and went out to watch the start of the 18,5k "Mini-Marathon". Then did a bit of warming up and entering the start area. The Asselronde runners started together with the marathon-runners who essentially had to run the Asselronde followed by another round on the course of the Mini-marathon.
The start signal went off at 12:00 and away we went. Some crowding but not a big problem as I had no intentions going fast today. After all I treated the race as a training run. The intention was to go at the expected marathon pace, not faster than that. We first went through some chique residential areas, through a park hitting the first hills and then started a long gradual ascent through woodland. We passed through the idyllic village of Hoog Soeren after which it went steep downhill. Now we were on the moor and felt a bit of wind. However, after another couple of kilometers we were again hiding in the forest. Now followed the most boring part of the race, the 6 kilometers along the provincial road Amersfoortseweg, seeing nothing but tarmac, millions of trees and oncoming cars (the eastbound lane was reserved for us runners, thus oneway traffic today). The first 2 km of this stretch was a tiring climb to almost 100 m altitude, then more or less flat. From about the 20 km mark it was downhill and I could accelerate considerably. Just before entering the final stretch down the Loolaan the marathonrunners turned right to start their final round. I didn't run full pace towards the finish as I had no particular time to beat and my legs were feeling quite worn. Crossed the line in 2:19:47, a pace of 5:05 versus the planned 5:13 :-).
In the first 3/4 of the race actually I actually more or less ran at the expected pace with some ups and downs. The faster than planned time was entirely due to the fast descent after 20 km where I experienced km-times well below 5 minutes/km. I can certainly state that I ran a negative split today :-)
Distance: 27.5 km
Race number: 3692
Result: 2:19:47
Web site: Midwinter Marathon
3e Opschoor Winter Cross (AV Waterweg), 16 Dec 2007
I had selected a 6 km cross in Maassluis near Rotterdam as my first cross. The course was prepared in a narrow green area between the dike and the water along the Nieuwe Waterweg, the main waterway to Rotterdam. Due to the night frost the course was mostly hard except for a couple of wet spots that got muddy as the race progressed (it consisted of one, two or three rounds for distances of 3, 6 or 9 kilometers). Except for a couple of artificial obstacles the main dangers were the ascents and descents up and down the dike, the frozen uneven ground and uncountable molehills (also frozen and rockhard). However, due to the frost I didn't experience the usual soiling by mud normally experienced by cross runners, that will have to wait until another time :-).
The weather was fine, sunshine, light (but cold) wind and around 0 degree C. Due to my lack of experience I didn't run the race flat out. Especially on the first round I kept the pace a bit down in order to learn the course and not doing stupid things. With about 130 participants it was a fairly small race. Thus we had plenty of space and overtaking was mostly not a problem. I survived without incidents and finished in 28:16, an ok time I think although much slower than what I'm able to do on hard surface.
Distance: 6 km (probably a little bit more)
Race number: 458
Result: 28:16 (8/23 men 6km)
Web site: AV Waterweg
Zevenheuvelenloop (15 km), 18 Nov 2007
It was a long day at the Seven Hills Run in Nijmegen - but a very satisfying one!
A little bit more than one hour of actual running and six hours in trains to get there and back.
A direct train, the Zevenheuvelenexpress, for runners from The Hague area brought us straight to Nijmegen. A good
opportunity to get a chat with a couple of fellow runners. Arrived in Nijmegen and having found the changing facility
(the underground carpark of a bank) I had the dilemma of selecting the proper dress. The weather was sunny but on the
cold side with only 4 degree C and a bit windy.
From home I had dressed in short tights but decided that that probably was too cold.
So I changed to long tight, a decision I didn't regret.
Before going to my designated starting area I did some easy jogging to warm up and inspect the start/finish area and Kaizer Karel Plein, the huge Parisian-style round-about in the center of Nijmegen. About half an hour before the start I entered the yellow starting area and found the only sunny spot and stayed there. The weak November Sun and a plastic bag helped me keeping a bit warm while waiting.
The yellow starting group started moving about 4 minutes after the gun and we were go. I quickly found a good pace although a bit faster than planned. The heart rate meter didn't give good readings for the first two kilometers and I had to run purely on my feeling. Unfortunately, I hadn't tightened the HRM chest belt sufficiently and I was struggling the entire race to keep it in place. At least, the readings became reliable for the rest of the race. I was surprised to overtake some pretty slow runners within the first couple of kilometers. They obviously had started from the blue area which should be reserved for runners having an expected finish time of one hour or less. They had absolutely nothing to do there (or in yellow area for that sake). The first (small) hill turned up at around 3 km, not a big problem, just slowing the pace a bit. A more serious ascent came shortly after, from 4 km to about 5,5 km. I simply reduced the pace in order to still stay in my intended heart rate zone. The kilometer times drop accordingly, no problem. Water post after 5 km, got an almost empty cup, grr. Not that important for a 15 km race in cold weather, just pissed me off a bit. The most 'choppy' part came between 7 and 8 km with a comparably steep descent followed by a similar ascent. More hills followed. I had to pace myself a bit around 10 km when the heart rate meter indicated I was getting 'lazy'. From 11 km it was mostly a downhill cruise towards the finish line in Nijmegen. I was certainly no longer running at ease but could still put in a good final pace of about 4:12 min/km on the last 2 km. Crossed the finish line in 1:05:59, a minute faster than my goal! Hadn't expected to reach and exceed the target so easy considering the hills. Surprisingly, I have heard that many runners have made their 15 km personal best time on this not quite flat course. And not to be forgotten, the current 15 km road racing world record was set at the 2001 edition of the Zevenheuvelenloop by Felix Limo (Kenya).
The crowding was less bad than I had feared. With more than 23000 runners there is going to be some traffic on the course. Occasionally, I had to slalom around some slower runners but mostly I could run a straight line. The organizers reduce the crowding firstly by grouping runners into starting groups according to expected finish time but then additionally by 'throttling' the runners using a narrow passage just before the start line ('hourglass start'). Works very well.
After crossing the finish line I took some time to stretch out before going through the standard procedure of getting the medal etc initially feeling tired but comfortable. Suddenly, the combination of sweaty dress and the cold wind felt very uncomfortable. In other words I was freezing badly. I rushed back to the underground carpark as fast as my tired legs could move, got into dry clothes and bought a hot soup there (they had some simple catering there). The trip back to the Hague was long but pretty uneventful except from a one hour delay due to technical problems on the track delaying the train.
This was probably the greatest running event that I have take part in so far. The race was very well organized, can't really point out any negative things. I'm very happy about my performance showing that I still can improve.
Distance: 15.0 km
Elevation: Start/finish 35 m, Vlierenberg 90 m (approx)
Race number: 1181
Result: 1:05:59 (2468/23270 total)
All results
Elevation Profile (gmap)
Web site: Zevenheuvelenloop
Hoge Veluwe Loop (10 km), 7 Oct 2007
What a wonderful day in the Hoge Veluwe national park.
Sunshine, no wind, 18 degrees.
Perfect conditions in the beautiful autumn landscapes of the Veluwe.
I took part in the 10 km race of the Hoge Veluwe Loop also offering a half marathon and a 5 km race,
all on tracks through forests and moors at the northern end of the park near the famous St. Hubertus hunting lodge.
The race went smoothly, got a good position in front of the pack so few traffic problems.
Both the heart rate and the lap times were pretty steady during the race.
I was running at ease at the first 5 km then it started to hurt a bit, but I was never in problems.
Finish time 43:22 net, a personal record!! More than a one minute improvement over Golden Ten in May.
Distance: 10.15 km
Race number: 1457
Result: 0:43:22 (40/454 men net)
All results
Web site: Hoge Veluwe Loop
Fortis Halve Marathon, Rotterdam, 9 September 2007
PR and great run.
Although hard I felt much better this time than at the CPC, my first half marathon.
I managed to get early to the starting area and got a nice position at
the front of the pack (crossed the line just 18 seconds after the signal).
Result: A perfect run with very little overtaking and crowding in contrast to the CPC run where I spent a lot of energy
trying to get around slower runners in front of me.
I was concerned that the start was too fast (around 4:30/km)
but I decided to keep up the speed as I felt good. The pace dropped slightly during the race as the legs started to
feel a bit heavy. However, the breathing and the heart rate was steady throughout the race
and at the end I had enough energy to make a sprint (well, kind of) on the last kilometer, did
that last km in 4:19! Net result 1:37:53, a 10 min improvement over CPC 2007!
The aftermath: No serious problems, just a couple of battlescars. The usual blister on the left big toe
reappeared in "fine" style, but only one this time. After CPC I got two of them!
And a little more embarrasing, my left nibble was red and swollen due to friction with
my shirt, never had that problem before. I could definitely feel my legs the day after but nowhere as bad as
after the CPC. This time I walked FORWARDS down the stairs!
First recovery run (8 km) on Tuesday (2 days after), slowly, as the legs were still heavy.
Distance 21.1 km
Race number: 2430
Result: 1:37:53 (net 455/2291 overall)
AD result for runner 2430
AD video runner 2430
Web site: Fortis Halve Marathon Rotterdam
Tour de Munkebjerg, 21 August 2007
Distance 6.3 km
Altitude: Start 1 m, Finish 93 m
Race number: 2330
My result: 29:24 (67/223 mænd)
All results
Track
Web site: Vejle Løber
AJC Patent Run, Rijswijk, 21 June 2007
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More photos
Distance 6 km
Race number: 3
Result: 26:08 for 6,050 km (19/152 overall) (projected time at 6,000 km: 25:54)
AJC Patentrun 2007 result
Web site: Amicale Jogging Club
Results previous years:
2006: 29:21
2005: 31:09
2004: 30:45
2002: 30:44
Trompper Golden Ten Delft, 17 May 2007
Distance 10 km
Race number: 944
Result: 44:33 (net 291/1228 all, 154/767 men)
All results
Web site: De Koplopers
City Pier City, Den Haag, 17 March 2007
Distance 21.1 km
Race number: 3471
Result: 1:47:54
Result runner 3471
AD result for runner 3471
'Personal' article runner 3471
Web site: Fortis City Pier City