Running on Rene van Belzen

Thu, 24 Jul 2025 08:08:58 +0200

I keep asking myself, why do I do this to myself at my age? My race results aren’t near to what they were only a year ago, because of reasons. Then I have to remind myself that it’s my health I’m dealing with. Staying fit doesn’t come on its own, and race results aren’t everything.

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:50:30 +0200

To get accustomed to some rough terrain in my half marathon race in September, I’ll run my 73 minutes run at base tempo on similar oneven footpaths coming Wednesday (see map). It won’t be as brutal as the Kustloop, but I suppose it’s a better preparation than only training on asphalt.

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 08:07:52 +0200

It looks like my race next Sunday will be canceled due to high temperatures. I asked to the organizers if runners could run on their own and get credit for it, as in run your own race during the COVID-19 pandemic. I don’t expect a response, but I had to try. I can see the potential problems.

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 05:54:17 +0200

It had been six months since I ran a sub-2 hours half marathon (and got a hip injury from over-training). I got a modest 485th place out of 739 runners. The goal for 2025 is a sub-4 hours marathon.

Sun, 04 May 2025 08:46:01 +0200

I now have to take off my Garmin watch before I start drawing art, because when I come into a flow, the watch registers it as “asleep.” It messed up my training readiness, since a three hours sleep period is deemed “too short and detrimental.” That is computers judging personal health for you.

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 11:47:24 +0200

While it’s fun to run races, it’s the training to prepare for those race which takes up most of the time. It also takes a lot of time to make one’s own training schedule that is balanced, tough enough to improve (or maintain) one’s fitness, yet flexible enough to appear recovered at the race.

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 12:19:56 +0200

I’m happy I ditched Strava in time, with their AI cr!$p. Now they’ve bought Runna as well, another AI-powered service. I’m sure free users will be bombarded with “promotions” to join Strava, because, guess what, the customers have to pay for all of that. The general consensus is Strava’s AI is bad.

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:35:11 +0200

I finished my marathon in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Despite the worst preparation in years, I beat the time Runalyze predicted by more than 3 minuten. My official nett time was 4h42m48s (6:43 min/km, 10:48 min/mi). Especially after the 32 K mark it became exceedingly hard to keep running.

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 21:04:16 +0200

Today I ran a half marathon race to determine my marathon goal five weeks from now. With 2h06m16s I could go for a 4h15m marathon, yet 4h30m seems a safer bet, especially because I was heavily injured for four month, in which I could hardly train, or only very slowly.

Sat, 08 Mar 2025 10:02:03 +0200

Checking out specific details on the Marathon Rotterdam website, since it’s only five weeks and one day before I’ll be running my fifth marathon. No, the details aren’t there yet, so I’ll have to be patient. Probably will receive an email about those anyway.

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 18:05:15 +0200

I ran my first long endurance run, seven weeks before I want to run the Rotterdam Marathon (April 13). As expected, today wasn’t easy, but I’m confident I will cross the finish line. The injury that was plaguing me since October 2024 seems to have cured itself, by reducing mileage and speed. Yay me!

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 10:21:58 +0200

It seems I’m on my way back from a hip injury. I may even run the Rotterdam Marathon this year, though with readjusted expectations. I couldn’t put in the hours and am seriously overweight now. Still, it’s nice to enjoy life again without constant pain. Against expectations, it made time fly.

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 15:35:18 +0200

Apparently, in 2024 out of the 70,000 inhabitants of my hometown, only 56 people (8 in 10,000) started in the Marathon Rotterdam. Nationwide that’s 17,000 marathon runners out of 18,000,000 people (9 in 10,000). While running is on the rise since COVID19, the marathon is still a niche distance.

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 09:07:31 +0200

Despite an injury I developed after my half marathon race two weeks ago, I’m going to run a marathon next Sunday. I already know what went wrong (lack of specific strength), and how to prevent it next time—I need to do the supplementary exercises I used to do, like hops and jumps, and running up a stair, several steps at a time, besides the usual exercises like crunches, planks, lunges and push-ups.

So, in order to not stress my body too much, I lowered my expectations for the upcoming marathon race, by starting at a 4:30 hours pace (6:20 min/km, 10:11 min/mi), and perhaps speeding up after the 35 km mark. It’s a sound strategy, provided the injury is cured (enough). I replaced running by bicycling a week ago.

I suppose I’m (re)learning by making mistakes. I really can’t fault myself, because the trainer I’m paying my track & field club for has never materialized. There’s someone, but he’s only interested in faster runners at shorter distances (3 to 10 km). Maybe I should hire a coach, though that’s rather costly, even an online coach or an app like Runna. Doing it all yourself is unnecessarily hard.

🏃‍♂️👈42.2 km👉🏃‍♂️‍➡️

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 07:35:32 +0200

Yesterday I noticed pain in my achilles tendon, so I decided to replace some running by cycling. I recorded using a triathlon app on my watch. Two things went wrong. I accidentally wiped the activity, but, worse, I underestimated the bike ride and the heat. It was too long and too fast. 🏃‍♂️🚴‍♂️

Sat, 13 Jul 2024 11:49:54 +0200

I’m looking for inspiration by following marathon runners on Strava. Got discouraged by a member of my T&F club, who claimed she could run a marathon on 27 km per week as a base, because she wasn’t able to put in the time. Alas, she’s not the only member who lost respect for the marathon.
🏃

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 14:53:33 +0200

Last Saturday I did a 30 km training run as a (300 m run, 100 m walk) run-walk-run in 3h38m, about 50% slower than my fastest ever 30 km race in 2016. Corrected for heart rate it’s only 25% slower, and for weight 10% slower. That difference could be largely explained by the walking. 🏃‍♂️

Sat, 11 May 2024 14:20:58 +0200

I find it interesting to predict one’s time in an important running race based on a test run, as to know what a good pace is to keep up during that race. I always used a self-conceived rule, which is quite different from the generally accepted rule according to research engineer Peter Riegel, although it took some math to figure that out (see below).

Self-conceived rule

I have experienced for myself early on in my running career that my pace increases by a factor of 1.07 when doubling the running distance, under ideal circumstances. For example, a 10 km race tended to be 7 percent slower than a 5 km race. I generalized this idea into a formula.

1: p2 ÷ p1 = 1.07 ⁿ

2: d2 ÷ d1 = 2 ⁿ

1 & 2 ⇒ n = ²log(d2 ÷ d1)

p2 ÷ p1 = 1.07 ^{²log(d2 ÷ d1)}

p2 = p1 × 1.07 ^{²log(d2 ÷ d1)}

p1 = t1 ÷ d1; p2 = t2 ÷ d2

⇒ t2 ÷ d2 = (t1 ÷ d1) × 1.07 ^{²log(d2 ÷ d1)}

t2 = t1 × (d2 ÷ d1) x 1.07 ^{²log(d2 ÷ d1)}

Factors for 1.07 ^{²log(d2 ÷ d1)}

The table below shows some favorite distances from road races. In the rows are the distances from which the pace is known and in the columns the distances from which the corresponding factors can be read as numbers in the table. Multiplying a known pace for a particular distance with this factor gives the corresponding unknown pace for another distance. For example, for a 15 km race (third row in the table) multiply this race’s pace by a factor of 1.1062 to calculate the ideal pace for a marathon (eighth column in the table). A sub-3 hour marathon would require a sub-36 minutes 10 km, according to this table.

	5 km	10 km	15 km	10 mi	20 km	½ mar	30 km	mar
5 km	1.0000	1.0700	1.1132	1.1208	1.1449	1.1509	1.1911	1.2314
10 km	0.9346	1.0000	1.0404	1.0475	1.0700	1.0756	1.1132	1.1509
15 km	0.8983	0.9612	1.0000	1.0069	1.0285	1.0339	1.0700	1.1062
10 mi	0.8922	0.9546	0.9932	1.0000	1.0215	1.0268	1.0627	1.0987
20 km	0.8734	0.9346	0.9723	0.9790	1.0000	1.0052	1.0404	1.0756
½ mar	0.8689	0.9297	0.9673	0.9739	0.9948	1.0000	1.0350	1.0700
30 km	0.8395	0.8983	0.9346	0.9351	0.9612	0.9662	1.0000	1.0339
mar	0.8121	0.8689	0.9040	0.9102	0.9298	0.9346	0.9673	1.0000

Rule according to Riegel

According to Peter Riegel the increase in pace for a longer distance is radically different:

t2 = t1 × (d2 ÷ d1) ^1.06

For times between about 3 and 230 minutes.

t2 = t1 × d2 ^1.06 ÷ d1 ^1.06

t2 ÷ d2 = t1 × (d2 ^1.06 ÷ d2) ÷ d1 ^1.06

t2 ÷ d2 = t1 × d2 ^{1.06 - 1} ÷ d1 ^1.06

t2 ÷ d2 = t1 × d2 ^0.06 ÷ (d1 × (d1 ^1.06 ÷ d1))

t2 ÷ d2 = t1 × d2 ^0.06 ÷ (d1 × (d1 ^{1.06 - 1}))

t2 ÷ d2 = (d2 ^0.06 ÷ d1 ^0.06) × (t1 ÷ d1)

t2 ÷ d2 = (d2 ÷ d1) ^0.06 × (t1 ÷ d1)

p1 = t1 ÷ d1; p2 = t2 ÷ d2

⇒ p2 = (d2 ÷ d1) ^0.06 × p1

If the distance doubles, the pace increases by a factor of 2 ^0.06, or 1.0425. That would mean that as the distance increases, the pace increases drastically less than with the aforementioned calculation method of my own.

A similar table is shown below, containing factors to be multiplied with known paces to calculate unknown paces, depending on the distances.

Factors for the Riegel calculation

The table below shows some favorite distances from road races. In the rows are the distances from which the pace is known and in the columns the distances from which the corresponding factors can be read as numbers in the table. Multiplying a known pace for a particular distance with this factor gives the corresponding unknown pace for another distance. For example, for a 15 km race (third row in the table) you can multiply the pace by a factor of 1.0640 to calculate the ideal pace on a marathon (eighth column in the table). For a sub-3 hour marathon, a time of sub-39 minutes on the 10 km is fast enough, according to this table.

	5 km	10 km	15 km	10 mi	20 km	½ mar	30 km	mar
5 km	1.0000	1.0425	1.0681	1.0726	1.0867	1.0902	1.1135	1.1365
10 km	0.9593	1.0000	1.0246	1.0289	1.0425	1.0458	1.0681	1.0902
15 km	0.9362	0.9760	1.0000	1.0042	1.0174	1.0207	1.0425	1.0640
10 mi	0.9323	0.9719	0.9958	1.0000	1.0131	1.0164	1.0381	1.0596
20 km	0.9202	0.9593	0.9829	0.9870	1.0000	1.0032	1.0246	1.0458
½ mar	0.9172	0.9562	0.9797	0.9839	0.9968	1.0000	1.0213	1.0425
30 km	0.8981	0.9362	0.9593	0.9633	0.9760	0.9791	1.0000	1.0207
mar	0.8799	0.9172	0.9398	0.9438	0.9562	0.9593	0.9797	1.0000

What to use?

It seems rather obvious to me that a generally accepted rule makes more sense than something you came up with yourself based on your own race results. Other than that, there are strict limits to when the rule according to Riegel applies. For slow runners (e.g. marathon in 4½ hours) or extremely short distances (e.g. 400 m) the rule does not apply, or, at least, the prediction value will be rather low.

An acquaintance of mine ran a time of 1h01m36s in a “15 km” race (14.87 km according to his GPS). According to my calculation, that would be enough for 3h15m39s on a marathon with certified course (1% longer than 42.195 km). According to Riegel, it would be enough for 3h08m03s on the same certified marathon course. In both cases, the result of the “15 km” race was too slow for an “official marathon” (i.e. with certified course) under 3 hours. A sub-3 hour marathon would have required a time of 56m40s or 58m57s for the “15 km” race (my rule, Riegels rule respectively). This acquaintance has to get faster somehow, either by training and/or good fueling during the race. Ideal circumstances would help too.

Anyway, I think I can put my home-grown calculation method to rest and start using the much better tested method according to Peter Riegel.

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 07:27:57 +0200

In preparation for a half marathon on King’s Day (April 27) I ran and walked 24 km. I’m still suffering through an ankle injury, so I’ll have to be cautious. It was a beautiful day, partially run alongside a canal between two rivers. It was tough, because I did 1.5 times my usual training 🏃

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 15:31:29 +0200

Someone dug a trench across a footpath, and I stepped right into it, hurting my ankle badly. Who does such a thing, making a trap for pedestrians? The ankle is swollen and hurts, but not enough to go to a doctor. I suppose R.I.C.E. will reduce the swelling, as in Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 09:34:48 +0200

If everything goes as planned, I will have run around 3300 km (2050 mi) in 2023 when the New Year rolls around. With a little over 5 weeks to go, I’ve already passed 2930 km of running this year, an average of 63 km (39 mi) weekly, 272 km (169 mi) monthly, despite injuries and other mishaps. 🏃‍♂️

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 15:22:17 +0200

After doing some research to find out which marathons can be reached in time by public transport, and finding out I already knew those, I’m going for a recovery run, to clear my mind from the realization that a car is still needed for early hours on Sundays, (or late hours in Summer). I’m carless.

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 15:33:16 +0200

I need to remind myself that me running competitively is just a mind trick to keep fit. I’m under no illusion that I’m able to win a race, not even in my age class. Keeping fit is already struggle enough. No need for being a target for those after “eternal” fame (i.e. until the next race).

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 18:22:17 +0200

I already felt awful when I woke up this morning. After a 24 km run I feel exhausted. It was supposed to be a 32 km long run. I’ll get to bed early tonight, sooo tired 😫

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 08:35:53 +0200

Yesterday I did another long run, 26 km with 20 km at marathon tempo. This doesn’t sound all too impressive, until you consider what came before (32 km a week before, 23 km 4 days before). See my training session on Strava. It felt like a race.

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 18:06:11 +0200

Yesterday I ran 32 km in 3h46m (see my Strava) as a part of my fall marathon preparation. I was quite exhausted at the end, so I need to do it again to be sure. The marathon is end of October.

Sun, 06 Aug 2023 17:01:23 +0200

I ran my first 3+ hours run in my Fall marathon schedule as a run-walk-run. My easy pace for a 4 hour marathon is between 6 and 8 min/km, the slower, the better (since it hurts less and has a similar effect on one’s endurance). The average was around 7 min/km, (11 min/mi).

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 06:36:16 +0200

Yesterday I ran a 10 km “race” in the heat of the day (30℃, 86℉), which is quite hot for traditional Dutch summers (though becoming norm with climate change). I wanted to run a half marathon, and was prepared with a cooling vest, but, apparently, this is a novelty, and I a fool to expect a race 🏃‍♂️

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 13:16:08 +0200

I now have a temporary free premium account with Strava, and am even less impressed than with Garmin Connect. Unless you like to flaunt with made up statistics to get some clout within the runner community, I don’t see any point in paying for a premium account.

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 12:36:34 +0200

24 marathons across 24 European countries in 2 months. This guy is just crazy, but in a nice way. He almost died during his first marathon from exposure, separated from his team (words were spoken, improvements discussed). See this YT video.

Sun, 11 Jun 2023 14:46:05 +0200

Today’s long run was (from the start) a bit of a bad run (see my result on Strava). It wasn’t so much the temperature, but the fact I wasn’t recovered (enough) from last Sunday’s intensive long run of 32 km. I had to walk the last 6 km. Better luck next time, in three weeks.🏃‍♂️

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 17:30:05 +0200

I looked into doing multiple marathons within a year. The best advice I found was:

plan the marathon races far in advance, so you know what you’re up to
concentrate on post-marathon recovery, especially the first week after a marathon (mostly non-running related activities: walk, cycle, swim)

🏃‍♂️

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 07:26:18 +0200

Yesterday I ran a 22 km race as part of a 32 km training session.

Around 8 o’clock in the morning I jogged 9 km, took a shower, dressed in my race outfit, drank a cup of coffee, grabbed my race gear, and jogged the kilometer between where I live and the track and field club, where the start of the Brabantse Wal Marathon was at 10:45 AM. I did the half marathon event, which actually was 22 km (900 m longer than the half of the 42,195 m marathon distance).

The course was mostly off-road, with some steep short climbs and stretches of loose sand, which I had practiced in the past couple of weeks. In the first kilometer there was a single track, and with 270 runners we got stuck now and then, as you would expect. After the field was more spread apart, single tracks were no longer a problem.

I kept a steady pace, though slower than usual, because of the 10 km pre-race jogging. While I struggled to keep from falling, the inevitable fall happened, giving me bruises on my left shoulder and knee. I couldn’t see that tree root on the heavily shaded path. It didn’t slow me down much (like a few seconds).

In the last five kilometers I ran on familiar territory and could pick up pace. The last 1600 m on the road I could pick up even more speed, sprinting in the last 300 m on the track towards the finish line.

The time wasn’t that impressive. But I hadn’t expected that anyway, because of the added distance, and because of the off-road bits that were rather challenging. The 32 km I did in less than 3 hours and 20 minutes I was proud of, especially because of the low average heart rate under warm conditions (21℃). Corrected for temperature (into a result with 8℃), this would have resulted in a 1 hour 50 minutes for a half marathon road race.

Now I will take a few days to recover with easy training. Next Sunday will be my next long run, 29 km at a more leisurely pace.

🏃‍♂️

Wed, 31 May 2023 09:28:07 +0200

I know a physiotherapist who refuses to treat runners, because those are the worst patients. In those runners' minds, running is all about getting fit, so how can that make you sick? There’s no patience and a reluctance to see an injury as a serieus affliction that needs careful treatment. 🏃‍♂️

Sat, 27 May 2023 12:33:55 +0200

In just 12 days Runalyze dropped my estimated time in the marathon race by 4 minutes, while my marathon shape has reached 99%. By losing some of my excess weight slowly over the next 5 months, I might be able to lose a proportional amount of 15 minutes, provided I slowly speed up my training. 🏃‍♂️

Tue, 16 May 2023 17:19:08 +0200

I decided to do my 15 km run inside the municipality of where I live, and run between two of the three historical windmills. Well, the third is a tidal mill, though no longer operational, if I read correctly. With every flood there was lots of damage. With the Delta Works, no more floods, nor tides.

Mon, 15 May 2023 07:53:08 +0200

The graph shows what I could expect as a reasonable time on the marathon, based on training data. Two years ago, I could expect 5u30', a year ago 5u15', and now 4u15'. In all cases I was/am preparing for a marathon in October/November. Notice the serious detraining after the 2021 marathon 🏃‍♂️

Sat, 13 May 2023 10:32:02 +0200

I tried to add some of my Garmin Connect activities to my Dutch running blog, using iFrame snippets with code running on Garmin Connect. My blog slowed down to less than a crawl. Aside from security risks, using iFrame code seems a bad idea.

Fri, 12 May 2023 15:21:52 +0200

One of the advantages of having a blog… I wondered why a year ago I had such poor training regime for running. Then I read: overtrained in January (with complete bed rest for a week), followed by a slew of injuries after I picked up my training far too quickly. I was out of shape, quite a bit 🏃

Sun, 07 May 2023 12:10:41 +0200

I think long distance running, certainly above a certain age (read: amount of self-knowledge), is about conquering fear in advance. I’m about to run 26 km, and made it twice 13 km (i.e., back and forth), to make it less impressive. Still, I’m apprehensive 😬 What am I doing this for, again? 🏃‍♂️

Sat, 29 Apr 2023 10:00:23 +0200

On King’s Day, April 27, I ran another half marathon race, in a year best time (see my Strava if you’re curious). I was so tired afterwards I got the hickups for the rest of the day, and had to rest the next day. 🏃‍♂️

Fri, 28 Apr 2023 15:49:27 +0200

One has to plan a lot and far in advance if one wants to enter in a popular marathon, even when to subscribe before there’ll be a waiting list. There’s the preparation as well, a training schedule, either bought, downloaded, or self-made. Also, how to fuel in a race, and how to get there, etc. 🏃‍♂️

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 07:45:12 +0200

Yesterday I passed 1000 km this year. If I keep this up, I’ll pass 3000 km early December this year. As you would expect (or maybe not), I’m not fast, on average 6:44 min/km (10:50 min/mi). That’s because I only run 20% fast, and the rest slow, to keep my running hobby sustainable.

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 07:25:56 +0200

With 3 half marathon races finished, 6 planned, and a regime of strength and conditioning exercises, am I over-preparing for my 2023 fall marathon? From experience I know you can’t over-prepare, as long as you don’t get hurt 🏃‍♂️

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 10:09:07 +0200

Three times is a charm, it seems. After the first two half marathons I ran this year my hip muscles were very sore. However, on April 16 I only finished tired, not exhausted. I also ran the best time this year, without going all out. My PR was safe, though, with more than 20 minutes to spare 🏃‍♂️

Fri, 14 Apr 2023 09:59:08 +0200

I tried the 10 kg kettlebell again, using exercises for runners, not too long, yet long enough to raise my heart rate and feel the resistance of the weight. Now I’ll increase the reps slowly over the weeks, concentrating on technique. In a couple of months I should be able to handle two kettlebells.

Thu, 13 Apr 2023 08:57:06 +0200

I’m reminded by my DOMS that even a measly weight of 10 kg represents a serious challenge to my undertrained (read: old-man) leg muscles. I’m happy I didn’t buy the recommended two kettlebells of 16 kg (36 lbs) each. Since I don’t have a driver’s licence, I’ll pay to have those delivered 🏋️‍♂️

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 15:14:37 +0200

I bought an “el cheapo” kettlebell so I can start strength training to be able to handle two 16 kg (36 lbs) eventually. I appear to lack the strength in my body to do my slow long runs of 26+ km without being exhausted afterwards. These long runs I’ll need for marathon training.

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 08:37:11 +0200

Don’t you hate it when scientists are unsure if running on soft surfaces can result in injuries? The best advice (given how little is known) seems to be to avoid soft surfaces if you’re tired and stiff in your legs and hit the road instead 🏃‍♂️

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 17:28:50 +0200

I suppose if you had a good night’s sleep (>8 hours) and still need a long nap (>2 hours) during the day, it’s a sign to make today a rest day 🏃

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 19:32:10 +0200

Yesterday I was running a half marathon race and was so tired that I didn’t notice the beauty of this scene. I did okay, but am still very tired the day after.🏃‍♂️

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 12:47:47 +0200

I suppose I’ve decided not to run the marathon in eight days from when I write this. Too much has gone wrong in the past four weeks that haven’t yet been righted, not in the least this nasty cold I caught two weeks ago and just keeps buggering on.
🤧🏃‍♂️

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 14:40:26 +0200

If I look at two recent races, which were under very unfavorable circumstances (flu vaccination, partial recovery from previous race) common sense tells me to go for a marathon in four hours, however, my average pace and heart rate tells me to go for 3h:45'. I need a coach! 🏃‍♂️

Sat, 29 Oct 2022 09:26:52 +0200

After my corona vaccination 1.5 weeks ago, I had a dip in my weekly mileage. GPs advice, so I’ve found through online search, for kids after their vaccination is against any intensive sports. I missed that, and now know why I felt so bad during my training in the last 10 days🏃‍♂️

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 07:25:29 +0200

Contemplating what to do with athletes who want to compete recreational in marathons, triathlons and ultras, yet don’t get the support they pay their T&F club a fee for. I suppose they better look for a personal coach, since we’ve been without a coach for many years now 🏃‍♂️

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 06:46:29 +0200

Yesterday our small scale running race (165 🏃‍♀️🏃, well-organized, 2x per year) around Nijkerk, the Netherlands, was accompanied by fanfare, courtesy of Concordia Nijkerkerveen. They were nice enough to walk us from the parking lot to the start, a few hundreds meters away.

Tue, 04 Oct 2022 08:48:38 +0200

I perhaps should mention that last Sunday I kinda ruined my half marathon race, yet got a boost in comfidence by outdoing myself with short bursts of speed during the race. With proper training I could see myself beating my PR set 20 years ago in my 40s, proving 60 isn’t old 🏃

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 08:51:17 +0200

Tomorrow I’ll be attempting to run 🏃 my long run not only on the usual empty stomach and only tap water, but also on slightly depleted glycogen stores, trying to “touch the wall on purpose”, deal with it while running. So today I’ll be fasting, doing the reverse of CH stacking.

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 08:00:00 +0200

Work (currently) in Progress 🏃 First long run in my current marathon schedule, a 3+ hour run.

See my Strava activity.

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 12:34:05 +0200

This morning I fell during a forest 🏃 Something I “luck” 😣 into more often than I’d like. So what does one do? Well, it’s silly to try and resist gravity, unless you’re able to jump over the moon. No, you give in, rolling over the ground, making a mess of yourself. No blood, yay!

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 09:45:13 +0200

This morning I had a resting heart rate of 42 beats per minute, the lowest measured in my life so far. I know running buddies who (claim to) have a HRrest as low as 34 bpm. Yay for supercompensation, the superior form of adaptation in sports physiology 🏃🩺

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 09:51:02 +0200

Preparing for a 10 km race this afternoon, 15.00 hours local time (CEST). With faster shoes and 3 kg weight loss I should be able to beat the 50:02 I ran six weeks ago, though it’s 5℃ warmer today 🏃‍♂️

Wish me luck, please, TIA!

Fri, 26 Aug 2022 16:35:51 +0200

Tried the new HOKA ONE ONE Carbon X 3 running shoe🏃‍♂️ ‘Twas an instabuy.

Aaand, I got a discount on an already low price. It’s not the Nike Alphafly super shoe, but more affordable and still awesome for a slowpoke like me.

Sat, 20 Aug 2022 14:07:04 +0200

On my long run this morning I saw the heather in bloom 🏃‍♂️🌸

Thu, 11 Aug 2022 11:27:51 +0200

I’ll be running in summer heat this afternoon, around 31℃ (88℉), so—aside from water—having a route for a 10 miles long easy pace run would be handy, especially if it’s uploaded to my Garmin watch 🏃‍♂️

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 12:42:20 +0200

It seems that running 🏃 in the heat improves running performance, even in colder weather, provided the runner is able to deal with performing in high temperatures. Since 30+℃ (86+ ℉) temperatures are expected coming Saturday, it makes sense to train under those conditions, right?

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 08:10:36 +0200

Yesterday I ran 🏃 21 km as a workout, alternating between marathon pace and 20 percent slower than MP. I expected to be extremely tired the day after, but I am not. Today’s a rest day, though I feel I could run. It’s a good feeling 😊 Rest is important, though, crucial even.

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 07:35:32 +0200

Yesterday I did my first training run of 18 km, on unfamiliar terrain. I expected to be super tired when I woke up this morning, but I felt great, and my resting heart rate was not elevated. Unlike previous times, my first week of marathon training went extremely well 🏃

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 06:43:10 +0200

I think where I went wrong every time in my marathon preparation is by training too hard. One shouldn’t be exhausted after a few weeks. Every session should be doable, tough at times, never too tough. Around races longer than 15 km should be ten days of easy going, and so on 🏃

Wed, 06 Jul 2022 10:30:03 +0200

Yesterday evening I did my first marathon training session, a 16 km aerobic pace run. Since I ran alone, I could pick my own route, so I made it a pretty route. I wasn’t fully recovered from the 12 km race 3 days earlier, so it felt harder than it should’ve 🏃

Sun, 03 Jul 2022 08:55:02 +0200

I ran a partial (4 of 12 km) trail (see Strava) in 23℃ (73 F) in 1 hour and 3½ minutes. It felt good and could mean a 4:09 hours marathon result in optimal conditions. I have still 5 months and a lot of training to go to possibly beat my marathon PR from 2004 (3:45 hours) 🏃

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 10:25:19 +0200

Sooo, I ran 21.1 km in 2:35 hours on saturday, and 21.1 km in 2:07 hours on sunday. I guess that’s 42.2 km in 4:42 hours. Fun fact, the 2nd half marathon was a race, and I ran the last 5.1 km 15 s/km faster than 2 hours half marathon pace😅 End-of-the-year marathon, here I come! 🏃

Sun, 26 Jun 2022 07:48:21 +0200

Yesterday I jogged a half marathon in 2 hours 35 minutes, and today I’ll be leasurely racing the same distance in around 2 hours 14 minutes. Together that would be a marathon in slightly more than 4¾ hours. Within 6 months that should become a marathon in less than 4 hours 🏃‍♂️

Wed, 22 Jun 2022 15:50:33 +0200

After a total break following my previous marathon (spent a week in bed due to over-exhaustion), I’m giving it another go, end of the year (November 27). This time around my training schedule will be the upper limit, not the bare minimum. I clearly need a PT to restrain me 🏃‍♂️

Tue, 14 Jun 2022 07:46:59 +0200

I made a rough training schedule, mostly to get me safely to a next level of fitness. The two long runs in the weekends are very gentle (almost walking), but I realize I’ll need to balance it with more distance during the week. That will be a training objective in August 🏃‍♂️

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 07:15:48 +0200

Clawing my way back to marathon fitness with base training. I understand that low intensity running is how it should be done, including walking. Hopefully next time my fitness won’t take a nose dive after a marathon race 🏃

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 12:40:41 +0200

I’ve looked into the Maffetone method for base training (running), since my slow 20 km run two weeks ago felt so hard. It takes a really long time (like many months) to adjust your body, and slow running (8 min/km or 13 mpm in my case) means either low mileage or many hours 🏃

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 07:09:49 +0200

The day before yesterday I fell while running and yesterday I strained my hamstring (again, after I did two weeks ago). I feel bruised and strained like an apple that fell from a tree. Yay for foam rollers and pain medicine 🏃

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 11:17:43 +0200

Ran for the first time this year, after a fortnight break. It wasn’t easy, despite it being “only” 4 km 😓 🏃

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 06:01:13 +0200

I ran my marathon Sunday November 28 in a cold, somewhat wet, yet blistering (puddles) 3:59:06🥇

It was over six years ago I ran my previous, so this one could’ve been my first, physically, not mentally, because your first marathon is special, precious, with tears and crying. 🏃

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 15:07:17 +0200

The only 2022 winter or spring marathon that’s available to me was almost full, so I registered myself with an early bird entry. It’s the Two Rivers Marathon on February 6, 2022. It’s my first time running there. It will be 10 weeks after my next marathon on November 28, 2021. 🏃

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 14:43:35 +0200

I did my third long run in preparation of a marathon on November 28, 2021. A marathon under 4 hours is feasible, as is one under 3h45'. The reason it was so much easier this time is that I ate more protein for recovery. It did wonders, slept like a rose, woke up ready to go! 🏃

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 06:10:55 +0200

I suppose today will be a show of strength of character, as with a very tired body I’m going to run a 10 km race in Utrecht, the Netherlands, called Maliebaanloop. It’s 4+ hour of travel for a 50 minutes 🏃 race. I expect to be exhausted when I come home.

Sat, 16 Oct 2021 05:07:29 +0200

I’m doing a kind of dress rehearsal for a marathon, by doing a 32 km long run today, 10 km race tomorrow. I didn’t sleep well, woke up at 4:30 am, for a run starting slightly before 7 am, in the dark. The sun’ll rise after 8 am. To say I’m nervous is an understatement 🏃

Sat, 25 Sep 2021 16:16:41 +0200

I believe this lovely 😊 flower is called Policeman’s Helmet in English. I saw it today on my run and stopped to make a (live) photo. 🏃🌸 🌱

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 08:56:12 +0200

Commenting on Strava instead of a thumbs-up takes a lot more time, especially because I want it to mean something, and have to dig into an athlete’s history. I personally don’t fave anymore, because I now see it as bookmarking in public, no longer as a sign of encouragement 🏃

Fri, 10 Sep 2021 08:53:25 +0200

According to both my calculated fat percentage and BMI I’m no longer overweight, nor obese: 75 kg, 1.74 m. 🏃 Good position to be in for my upcoming marathon, November 28. I lost 18 kg (40 lbs), or half my body fat mass, in 17 weeks.

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 08:23:00 +0200

Found this beauty alongside a bike path on my 🏃 Already yesterday, but I forgot to take a picture then, awestruck as I was 🌸 I’m told it’s an evening primrose.

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 18:37:08 +0200

Had to share this one from 2008. Numbers 1, 11, and 111! You don’t get to see that very often in a running road race. 🔢 🏃 Also, total toddler 👶 cuteness there.

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 16:34:17 +0200

I jogged 🏃 around a nearby artificial lake, called Binnenschelde, after the nearby river Scheldt. It was peaceful and quiet, and I greeted many fellow runners and hikers. Some had isolated themselves with headphones, obviously not interested in nature sounds💨🍃🦢

Sat, 21 Aug 2021 18:14:42 +0200

I was in a good mood when I left home for a long slow distance run. Nothing wrong with being positive about what’s to come. It turned out even better than I expected. So, apparently, I wasn’t positive enough. Lesson learned, be ecstatic before each 🏃 Anything less is undeserved.

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 21:32:47 +0200

Running in a group of 🏃 🏃‍♀️ between the heather just before sun set.🌳🌅

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 13:36:35 +0200

While 🏃 17 km I went underneath my personal honor gate. Well, in my mind, anyway.

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 15:41:24 +0200

Decided to run urban, because I can 🏃

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 19:12:29 +0200

Currently reading: Racing Weight Cookbook: Lean, Light Recipes for Athletes (Racing Weight Series) by Matt Fitzgerald CISSN 📚🏃

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 15:07:44 +0200

While talent accounts for > 65 % of a 🏃 marathon time, age > 25 %, I can’t influence any of that. Of the changeable factors most beneficial is a 🏃 weight. Going from obese to healthy weight accounts for 7 %, much more than other factors, for me, 4 instead of 5 hours. 15 weeks.

Thu, 12 Aug 2021 09:05:34 +0200

Preparing for a marathon on one’s own is quite demanding, especially planning the test races, and modifying the training schedule. I can now really appreciate having support from others more experienced than me, and why some runners pay for that if they can afford it🏃

Wed, 11 Aug 2021 10:21:55 +0200

I joined a sponsor run, promising to run 250 km between today and a month from now. There’s collecting money as well, plus wearing a t-shirt I don’t yet have. We’ll see how that goes. Anyway, after a long warmup, I did a tough LT training for my VO2max. Yeah, tough! 🏃

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 09:22:37 +0200

Early bird has the worm, I suppose. At a leisurely pace of 7:15 min/km (11:40 min/mi) I did a recovery run through the nearby township of Zuidgeest. It was lovely to run in 15℃ (59℉) on half asphalt, half dirt road. After 68 minutes I was back home, refreshed and alert. 🏃

Sat, 07 Aug 2021 12:07:04 +0200

Last run for this week, 21 km (almost a half marathon distance), slow and easy in 2 h 20 min. I wanted a steady pace, no muscle soreness, nor tiredness afterwards. I got two of those three; still tired afterwards. It’s 16 weeks to go before M-day 🏃

Sat, 07 Aug 2021 06:34:26 +0200

I went from 33 to 31 percent body fat in one week by limiting my diet to one healthy warm meal per day, lots of low-caloric fluids and 31 km of running. I need to go to 18 % to prevent hitting the wall in a marathon race, having to walk the last 10 km of the 42 km distance. 🏃

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 18:53:26 +0200

I didn’t have to go for a run to see something of beauty 🦋 Still, the run was nice too, in the Golden Hour, no less 🏃

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 08:38:34 +0200

Turns out that my lean body mass (everything except fat) is 57 kg, while fit male individuals have 18 - 24 % body fat, runners 10 % less than that. I’m shedding weight by the week now, just by running regularly and thinking about the marathon later this year. 🏃

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 08:48:10 +0200

My morning route has been extended by 30 minutes by 🏃 strength and mobility exercises. Like coach Kyle Kranz says:

Every day should be hip-day.

That’s the body part, in case you wondered.

Sat, 31 Jul 2021 19:10:35 +0200

I’m temporarily back on Strava, just because I’m preparing for a marathon later this year. After that, it’s probably lights out again for me (read: disconnect Garmin Connect from Strava). I did prune who I follow, though, to keep me sane. 🏃

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 21:32:22 +0200

Second week running in a group of about 20 athletes of varied levels. This time I was the fastest, and much faster as well. Felt great. My regular group has some who are much faster than me. I’ll be joining them in September. 🏃

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 11:24:53 +0200

I totally underestimated my running speed in this LT training session. I thought 10 km was enough, yet needed almost 12 km. I ran almost 14 km at 6:13 min/km (10 min/mi). I need to reconsider my 15 km race pace. 🏃

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 13:39:56 +0200

I did an interval training, 5 series of tempos over 100, 200, 300 and 400 m (interval 100 m, series interval 400 m). The graph shows my watch’s recorded running data. The target pace for the tempos was 5:15 - 5:30 min/km (8:27 - 8:51 min/mi); actual paces were faster, though. 🏃

Sat, 24 Jul 2021 11:23:24 +0200

Major 🏃 effort (for me), 23+ km long slow distance run around Air Base Woensdrecht. It was my longest continuous run since 2018. The last 5 kms were brutal. Next weekend 2 km more.

Fri, 23 Jul 2021 18:28:44 +0200

I did 1 series of body core strength exercises (sets) for 🏃 It was so hard! I should work my way up to 3 series over the next months, which is the required minimum 😅 twice a week. Next one on Sunday. I’m so out of shape 😕

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 21:28:37 +0200

My first time running with a group since 9 months ago. It was as tough as I wanted to make it. Maybe I overdid it a bit. 🏃

Thu, 22 Jul 2021 08:52:45 +0200

Now my Garmin Forerunner 235 watch is reaching its end-of-life, I’m starting to explore its functionality more thoroughly. Unlike in 2016, running plans are now free (pretty good BTW), and you can now add your own runs to your calendar. I’m not sure when the change happened. 🏃

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 14:06:49 +0200

Seeing how much easier it feels to train consistently at 60 km/week (37 mpw) 🏃 compared to a few months ago, I feel confident enough to start training for a marathon on November 28. My main goals are ① not getting injured during prep, and ② finish within 5 hours, the cutoff.

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 18:20:39 +0200

On the Straight and Narrow 🏃 (and so 🐌 ssllloooowww). It certainly isn’t Strava-worthy (read: show-offish).

Sat, 17 Jul 2021 11:46:41 +0200

This time not a run-walk-run, but a genuine long slow distance run of almost half marathon length. The last few kms felt really hard. 🏃

Thu, 15 Jul 2021 12:13:28 +0200

A 🏃🚶🏃 of 17 km. I was quite stiff in my hip muscles afterwards, so I did some extra exercises to loosen those. Again, a wonderful run in a beautiful environment, although the latter is in the eye of the beholder and the former mostly in my experience.

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 13:18:42 +0200

This morning’s 🏃 in photos instead of stats.

Sat, 10 Jul 2021 13:38:15 +0200

🏃 19 km run-walk-run in 2¼ hours. That long straight cobblestone road was mind numbing, but I did it! Stretching afterwards felt better than usual, because that’s what cobblestone does to a runner.

Thu, 08 Jul 2021 12:17:59 +0200

Two months ago I needed two full days to recover from my 💉 Now barely a full day, though I felt more tired after my 🏃 than I usually do.

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 11:22:37 +0200

🏃 10 times 200 m, with 200 m recovery as intervals. Afterwards, I saw my ♡ drop to 45 bpm. Must be the anticipation of being 💉 later in the day. It also used to happen on days I ran an important race: less appetite, lower heart rate, and a deep calm.

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 08:38:55 +0200

I’ve run over a year with my current 🏃 shoes, obliterating the 1000 km limit I set for it, based on previous experiences. The support is completely wrecked, and I could as well run barefoot. Still—knock on wood—I haven’t been injured in all that time, which is astonishing.

Sun, 04 Jul 2021 14:49:00 +0200

I did my longest RWR 🏃 since a long time, and part of it on new (to me) terrain. Of course, I got lost, a bit, so the expected 16 km became 17 km, and I’m dealing with itches from brambles and nettles I encountered on a rarely used path. 🍀 it started to 🌧 after I was back 🏠

Sat, 03 Jul 2021 07:48:23 +0200

It’s probably smart to check with superior 📊 if one isn’t sure if one is really tired or just playing tired out of laziness 🥱 I find it hard to sense the diff. 🏃

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 12:59:55 +0200

If I exclude walk breaks, I ran on average 6:24 min/km. 10 kph now seems almost doable for a 15 km 🏃 at easy pace.

Tue, 29 Jun 2021 15:15:16 +0200

Time for my weekly interval 🏃 training. This time 10 times 200 m (200 m recovery), at an average pace of 5:06 min/km. I felt I could’ve done 5 more, easily. Baby steps, though. Who knows, perhaps in August?

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 12:17:32 +0200

Today’s 🏃 was relatively long, 15 km. As part of it, I did 9 times (900 m 🏃: 100 m🚶), which an average 🏃 pace of 6:36 min/km. Because of my orange t-shirt, someone felt the need to say the Dutch are out of the running, so wearing orange is no longer necessary 🤔

Sat, 26 Jun 2021 12:30:52 +0200

It seems my cautious approach to 🏃 is starting to 🐻 🍎 Not only could I run 9 km in 62 minutes, I also ran 1 km in 5:35 min, in an attempt to train my lactate threshold. Now my 💉 has been brought forward by 6 weeks (because of new variants?), I’ll be able to run in a group sooner.

Fri, 25 Jun 2021 07:18:00 +0200

I forgot to post about yesterday, when I 🏃 the full 15 km without walk breaks. This was a while ago. I even had one kilometer running 6:38 min/km, or 9 km/u, while still having an “easy pace” heart rate. On the photo is a deer, which you can barely see, but it was there.

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 12:28:22 +0200

I have given blood to Mother Earth (I fell) while running. When I started I already felt unsteady, not quite awake. After the fall I was very awake and somewhat bloodstained. The rest of the run went without incidents. My only worry was if I had enough bandaids at home. 🏃

Thu, 10 Jun 2021 19:24:34 +0200

Today’s 🏃🚶🏼🏃 (900 m : 100 m) went surprisingly easy. Also special was that at some point there was no traffic in sight, while around 4 pm it’s usually pretty busy with commuting cars. Didn’t last long, though.

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 18:53:34 +0200

I thought my body deserved an interval training for my 🏃 It’s an acquired taste, I believe. I ran 200 m pretty hard, eased down 200 m, and did that five times. I needed 4:56 min for that fast-paced kilometer.

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 17:58:55 +0200

🏃 with 23℃ in the shade was a challenge, so I did, again, 🏃🚶🏼🏃 9 km (900 m : 100 m). It was very traffic-heavy with commuters, who either aren’t allowed, can’t, or don’t want to work from home. Luckily, where I crossed the road motorists must let non-motorists go first.

Sun, 06 Jun 2021 19:09:45 +0200

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and nice to be outside, though it was more crowded than usual (10 people instead of 1).

Ah well, I did an easy 🏃 🚶🏼 🏃 of 9 km (900 m:100 m), followed by 1 km fast.

For more details, see my Garmin Connect page.

Fri, 04 Jun 2021 17:47:00 +0200

Today’s 🏃 was easy run-walk-run. It was raining slightly, but still warm, which made the heat worse.

For those interested, I ran 8,1 km in 55:46 min (6:53 min/km). Considering the circumstances, not bad. For more deets, see my Garmin page.

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 15:14:00 +0200

Today’s 🏃 was an easy walk-run-walk (800 m 🏃 200 m🚶🏼) of 9 km. Ran 7.2 km in 48:20 min (6:43 min/km), for those wanting deets.

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 17:09:00 +0200

To bring variety in my 🏃 training, today I did an interval training. It was hot, 28℃ (82℉) in the shade, me in the sun. Still, well-hydrated, it was doable.

In case anyone wants to know, 5 times 200 m, with my heart rate above my LT heart rate, or 5:15 min/km on average.

Mon, 31 May 2021 22:18:00 +0200

Wow, such a slow 🏃 At times my imaginary self could’ve pass me by power walking. Ah well, another one for the books, as they say, don’t they?

P.S. I found out why I was so slow, overreach, Runalyze told me so. A rest day was in order, as well as re-evaluating my training “plan”.

Sun, 30 May 2021 17:44:00 +0200

My 🏃 was so terribly slow. I blame it on the sudden rise in outside temperature. Nature was beautiful, though.

Fri, 28 May 2021 19:21:00 +0200

I can’t but except it 乁໒( ͒ ⌂ ͒ )७ㄏ 🏃

Wed, 26 May 2021 17:49:00 +0200

I had an off day 🏃 Counter 9-in-60 back to zero, because I needed more than an hour to run 9 km. Bummer!

Mon, 24 May 2021 18:01:00 +0200

I 🏃 my 9-in-60 2/5 in rain, hail and thunder. Luckily, it wasn’t raining 🐸 or I’d expected the end of days.

Sun, 23 May 2021 11:54:00 +0200

I want to 🏃 more distance in an hour, or IOW, faster. I should be able to do 5 consecutive easy runs of 9 km in an hour before I advance to doing 10 km easy running sessions. Today was 9-km-in less-than-60-minutes (shortened as: 9-in-60) number 1 out of 5.

Sat, 22 May 2021 10:52:00 +0200

My first 🏃 after being vaccinated 💉 with AstraZeneca. I had a head wind in the first half. On my way back home it went like clockwork with the wind in my back. The pouring rain didn’t bother me, since I could empty my head after two stressful days of pain and recovery.

Wed, 19 May 2021 08:57:00 +0200

Early bird catches the worm, so to speak. Today’s 🏃 was easy enough and I felt good, despite too short a night. I suppose I’m a bit anxious because of the vaccination 💉 shot later today.

Tue, 18 May 2021 10:54:00 +0200

Tomorrow I’ll get my first ever COVID-19 vaccination, so I want to remain as fit as possible. Today’s 🏃 proved yet again that I am. 💉

Mon, 17 May 2021 16:51:00 +0200

With 12 ℃ it was a bit chilly at first, but nice after a few minutes of 🏃 I went a slightly different route and had to wait for quite some commuters in cars, who obviously weren’t working from home. Anyway, lovely run at—for me right now—a decent pace.

Sun, 16 May 2021 13:15:00 +0200

After a (needed and deserved) rest day I ran again 9 km. While the highway was rather busy, where I 🏃 there was little traffic.

Fri, 14 May 2021 13:17:00 +0200

I did a run-walk-run of 20 km, 16 km 🏃 and 4 km🚶🏼Afterwards I had to stretch to relieve the muscle soreness. I took a snapshot every 5 km, where ever I was.

Wed, 12 May 2021 11:08:00 +0200

I could feel this was the ~~5th~~4th consecutive day of 🏃 This is when some need motivation to continue. Nature wasn’t helping either, with several hissing geese with chicks I had to give a wide berth, which is amusing, considering I was running around a body of water.

Tue, 11 May 2021 12:55:00 +0200

With 17 ℃ it was a bit tougher to 🏃 coming from Winter temperatures. Still, I somehow managed to run an hour.

Mon, 10 May 2021 11:07:00 +0200

Today’s 🏃 contained slaloming 🐌 🐌 a dilapidated fortress guarded by lots of geese in the court, and goslings with mama goose hissing at me. So, the usual 😊

Sun, 09 May 2021 10:10:00 +0200

With 16 ℃ it actually feels like Spring and lovely weather for 🏃 I saw some with Winter coat walking the dog, coat open.

Wed, 05 May 2021 11:33:00 +0200

After a rest day I had problems keeping my pace steady. I suppose the gusts of wind had something to do with it. Bad days are clearly part of 🏃

Mon, 03 May 2021 12:05:00 +0200

It isn’t fast, though faster than what I’ve done recently. I guess one good run isn’t enough, but I feel progression. 🏃 The goal is 15 km per day, but that’s still far-off into the future.

Sun, 02 May 2021 11:42:00 +0200

Sunday run day 🏃 was so true, so I had to pick a more boring route than usual to avoid other runners. I mostly ran alongside a highway, on a separate road, as is customary here in the Netherlands, where traffic is separated to improve safety and efficiency.

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 10:51:00 +0200

9 km 🏃 in an hour, sorta. I met this man who, judging from how frequent we meet, seems to walk daily in his walking frame for at least 7 km, despite his disability. I salute him here for effort!

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 15:42:00 +0200

9.1 km 🏃 in 65 minutes. Was enjoyable and needed, because they started with major renovation of the houses in my neighborhood, to make them future-proof (low carbon footprint), as required by law. It’s rather noisy, so a break was welcome 🙏😊

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 11:45:00 +0200

Second consecutive day 🏃 9 km in 62 minutes. I even had a walk break of 500 m. I certainly was less tired than after each daily 15 km run a week ago. So an hour is doable, it seems.

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 12:11:00 +0200

15 km per day proved to be too hard, so after a proper recovery I aimed lower, 9 km per day? 🏃

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 12:52:00 +0200

Seen while 🏃

Sun, 18 Apr 2021 11:31:00 +0200

First and hopefully not last 15 km 🏃 I wasn’t actually fast (1:45 hrs) and extremely tired afterwards.

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 11:56:00 +0200

Tomorrow I’ll try to reach my daily distance goal of 🏃 15 km per day, and keep it there while my body slowly adjusts to the training load. Today I was tired an hour in, which was an improvement over yesterday.

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 11:45:00 +0200

🏃 13 km in slightly less than 90 minutes. I tried a different route, hoping it was longer. Alas, almost the same distance. So I had to make an additional loop to make it thirteen full thousand meters, with legs already tired after 30 minutes of running. Tomorrow will be 14 km.

Thu, 15 Apr 2021 12:10:00 +0200

Another consecutive 🏃 day. After yestday’s “speed” I had to moderate today’s slightly. After 12.5 km I was pretty tired and stiff, remedied by some stretching. My current goal is daily 15 km runs at an easy pace by the end of April, which shouldn’t be much of a problem, I guess.

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 11:04:00 +0200