Running Race Reports – Page 4

Frühjahrslauf 2017 – What a nightmare – Pain!

Frühjahrslauf 2017

I had been looking forward to the Frühjahrslauf, last year I ran my 10k PB there. It is a fast course, and I fancied that I could go sub37 again, maybe even close to my PB. My legs were still in pain after last week’s half marathon until about Wednesday, but I was feeling better if not 100% fit and healthy.

Jochen was racing again, so we went together to Groß-Gerau. He was hoping to break 38 minutes for the first time, I wanted to break 37. I found out that there actually were far more facilities on site that I noticed last year. Under the mosque there are toilets and a place to get drinks, more than just the 1 portaloo that I found last time!

The race started at 3pm. There were plenty of fast people there, my chances of winning were exactly zero, but I’d decided to wear my lightest shoes, the Brooks T7 racers for the first time in a race anyway. Might was as well go for a fast time! Off we went, I wasn’t really feeling ‘it’ before the race, but I started and felt ok. I passed the first km sign after 3:35, decent pace but still behind Jochen!

High Heart Rate

I settled in and after 3km saw that my pace had fallen, but my heart rate was 179. I was in trouble, I can’t run a 10k with my heart rate so high. It seems that the whole little group I was with were also struggling, it was pretty much the same group as last week, socks included!

I let the group go, but they didn’t really go anywhere. A few people passed me from behind too, something that rarely happens to me. After 5k I had 18:42 on the watch, 32 seconds slower than last year and I was in trouble.

The last 5km felt like a death march. I passed Jochen after about 6km, but he re-passed me after about 8km. Everyone ran away from me and even breaking 38 was starting to look unlikely. needing a 3:45 last 1km to do it, I didn’t manage it. My calves were hurting from about 4km onwards, and my HR was too high and I just literally wasn’t at the races.

Not showing, but feeling the pain

Pain and disappointment

Jochen managed his sub 38, which I was happy to see, but I ran a 38:02. It was pretty much the worst race I can remember running for a few years now. Soon after the race I started to consider if the half marathon from 6 days prior was to blame. It seems likely that I wasn’t fully recovered, so maybe that’s why I was so off form.

Jochen in picture, my in the background

My calves were agony after the race, I stupidly ran last night too, and my right calf is now officially injured, not just achy. I will take a few days off running and get on the bike and in the pool.

Up Next

Next up looks like being a half marathon or 10k in Bad Kreuznach on the 19th of March. The TCEC powers that be want us to run there, so I will do, I mean why not? Until then iron and rest are on the cards until I am fully fit. I can’t have lost fitness in 1 week, so I should be good after a little recovery time, I hope!

Mörfelden Half Marathon 2017 – 7th Place

Mörfelden – again!

I didn’t race Rodgau, it was too much of a pain to get to, so I have just been training. Oh and being sick! Last week after getting home from swimming I started feeling ill, then vommed my guts out and basically felt like crap until Wednesday. Mörfelden Half Marathon was in my plan though, I somehow thought it was on Saturday, which was a bit early, but the actual day, of Sunday, was much better.

So I was up at silly o’clock (5:50am) to eat before Jochen picked me up at 8am. It didn’t take to long to get there, so we were pretty early. It was -3 degrees when I left the house, it would be another chilly race!

I couldn’t find my heart rate monitor, and I amazingly haven’t run a half marathon since Mainz last May, so I was in a bit of unknown territory with regards to pacing. I wore my Zantes and felt like 1:21:xx would be doable, so about 3:50/km. Jochen was aiming for a PB, which would be sub 4:00/km and Stephan who was also running, was aiming for a sub 1:30 time.

Run with the group

the start of the half marathon — me on the left, 2nd place is in the red vest. 1st place is no where to be seen!

Continue reading “Mörfelden Half Marathon 2017 – 7th Place”

Mörfelden Staffelmarathon

Staffelmarathon

A few weeks ago I saw an email from Stephan, from TCEC, asking if anyone fancied running in the Mörfelden Staffelmarathon (relay). I am trying to race myself fit at the moment, so jumped at the chance. I ate too much cake on Saturday, so work up weighing 81kg, but I know that my true weight is 79kg at the moment.

Lex Laufexperten

Lex Laufexperten, a running shop chain, had quite a few teams signed up for the Staffelmarathon. They were kind enough to cover the entry fees for us too, which was good of them. I seemed to have been put onto the ‘fast’ team and was given the last leg, which had the bonus of meaning that I didn’t have to be there at 9am, when the race starts, as I wouldn’t run until at least 11am.

I had to get the tram, then 2 trains, then walk to the start in Morfelden. It was no biggie, except that it was absolutely freezing! It was about -10degrees at 9am when I was waiting for 20 minute for the next train at Frankfurt stadium. I arrived in Morfelden desperate to find a toilet, but couldn’t find one, so I waddled the 15minutes to the start.

Cooold Continue reading “Mörfelden Staffelmarathon”

Lindenseelauf 10k 2017 – End of the series

Lindenseelauf – part 3

The last leg of the Lindenseelauf series was at the weekend and it was another chance to test my form. I haven’t been training so much recently. There was Christmas, the weather has been cold and snowy, and I have moved house. I am ticking over, but compared to last year, I am way behind.

One positive is my weight. I got down from 81.5kg to 79.3kg in 2 weeks! I wasn’t even trying too hard, so that was great news. A 38 minute run felt possible for me in the Lindenseelauf, which I expected should wrap up 3rd place in the series.

I got the train there and arrived 20 minutes before the start. Robert Ploen and Sebi Dahl were both there, so TCEC had a good team again. I did a little bit of a warm up, but it was about 0 degrees, so I wasn’t exactly warm! Soon enough I was at the start line at 14:30 and ready to go.

The Race

The race started and the usual suspects went up the road, with Sebi just ahead of me and Robert behind me. I started a little fast, think 3:35 for the first km. The guy who was 4th in the series was running with me, so I knew I just had to stay with him and I would be good for 3rd. There was a bit of snow and ice on the course, but it was okay to run.

I noticed after about 3km that Sebi wasn’t pulling away from me, and on the hill at 3.5km I caught him and pulled in to offer some wind protection. He ran behind me until about 6km, going past the 5km sign after 18:28, then he faded quite a bit.

There was no one ahead of me for about 200m, and no one behind me who was catching me, so I could just keep a solid pace going and get to the end in one piece. I realised after 8km that a sub 37m looked unlikely, but I did try anyway. Coming out of the woods I could see that I wasn’t going to gain or lose any more places. Sebi was quite a way back, but I doubted he would lose 2 minutes in 4km, so I wouldn’t pass him in the overall ranking.

And over the line

Coming to the houses at the end, I saw 36:30 on the watch and sprinted in the vein hope of a 37min run, but at the final turn the clock ticked over, so I could only manage a 37:13. I am still very happy with that time though given my recent training.

Sebi came in about 1 minute down, and Robert managed a 39:10, a PB for him, so he was happy too.

After a shorter than normal wait came the prize giving. I didn’t win in the tombola, but I was 2nd in my age group on the day, 6th overall. I was also 3rd in the series overall and 1st in my age group. They seemed to kind of ignore the 3rd place in the series, and gave me a 1st in the age group prize instead. I didn’t like that too much. Anyway I came home with 12 beers and a towel, good value nonetheless!

Coming up

I am going to run a staffel-marathon, i.e. a 4 person team marathon next weekend in Morfelden. I will be looking to do a sub 39 if the course is decent. Then I plan on doing the half marathon in Morfelden a few weeks later. I want to do a Rodgau race again sometime, but that would be easier if Jochen drives!

I’ll write again next week after the race. I am calling this part of the season – Renn mich fit!

Ebersheim Adventslauf 2016

I haven’t been running that much recently. I mean I am still running 50-70km per week, but I didn’t expect to be on top form for the Ebersheim Adventslauf. Ebersheim is really close to where I live. I have raced there 3 times. In 2014 I was very happy with 4th place. In 2015 I was 2nd but a little disappointed. This year I just wanted a form check really.

Jochen wanted to race the Adventslauf too, so he picked me up and we got to the race nice and early. I signed in and was going short/long, so short shorts, but a long sleeve top. We ran a little 2.5km loop as warm up and my hand were cold, so I put on gloves too.

Ebersheim Adventslauf

I had seen that 2 faster guys were there (Felix and AN other both from Team Gasser). They are not that much faster than me but usually a bit faster. A few others would be there or there abouts, but I was thinking that I should be good for the top 3. We set off and after a few hundred metres were running slightly uphill against a strong wind.

I tucked into the lead group of 6, Jochen was there too and the faster guys. The pace felt comfortable, but I didn’t want to be in the wind, so I bided my time. Continue reading “Ebersheim Adventslauf 2016”

Lindenseelauf part 2 – 15km run 2016

I did the Lindenseelauf 15km in 2015 back when I was on the Jack Daniel’s plan and feeling really good. Things are a little different at the moment (see my health). I finished taking my antibiotics the evening before the race, and my haemoglobin is probably not quite back to 100%, though it is much better than it has been.

I went into the race worried that I wouldn’t manage 1 hour for 15km, I had no idea though, maybe I would be back on form? So I got to the race and had to quickly sign in and get changed. It is part of a 3 race series, and though last time I didn’t do that well, I was still 2nd in my age group. I thought that as long as I do an okay run, I should still be in with a chance of a podium position in the age group. Continue reading “Lindenseelauf part 2 – 15km run 2016”

Lindenseelauf Run Part 1 2016

I am writing this late for a few reasons, but I don’t want to not write a race report, so here it is!

Lindenseelauf

On the 15th, so 11 days ago, the Lindenseelauf series started. It is made up of 3 races. A 10km run in October, a 15km run in November and a final 10k run in January. I have done the 15km and the 2nd 10km before, but I fancied trying the whole series this year. My form obviously isn’t tip-top after a pre-marathon taper and post-marathon rest, but what the hell, I like racing and it is good to have a reference point to know where I stand.

I went to the market with Katja and had a coffee, before cycling to Russelsheim for the race. I got there about 40 minutes before the start and signed up for the whole series. Sebi Dahl and Konrad were both racing too. Both are fast but Sebi is about as fast as me, so he is a good goal for me to beat. Continue reading “Lindenseelauf Run Part 1 2016”

Berlin Marathon 2016 – 2:55:16 a PB but…

So finally it was time for the Berlin marathon. I didn’t know what to expect, and that is exactly what I got! so let’s start at the start and go through my training going into the race.

12 week build up

I had decided that I would do a 12 week build to the race, starting straight after the Maratona. It would be 3×4 weeks with an easier week every 4th week. I was aiming to run 100km on my up weeks and obviously less on my down weeks. My routine for Rotterdam worked well and I wanted to do that again. That means running 8 times a week, with intervals on Wednesday, a ML run on Thursday, an easy double on Friday, and a long run on the weekend. Continue reading “Berlin Marathon 2016 – 2:55:16 a PB but…”

Mainzer Firmenlauf 2016 – 10th place

For the 3rd year in a row, I was signed up to run the Mainzer Firmenlauf. In 2014 I was anaemic so didn’t run well, doing about 19:40 for what may well have been a bit short course. In 2015, well you can read the post here, but essentially I was pretty dead after my Iron-distance race a few days beforehand, but still dragged myself around in 19mins, though the course was long!

This year my well of excuses seems to have run dry. I am in full training for the Berlin marathon in 2 1/2 weeks and things are going quite well. It has been relentlessly hot and sunny for the last month or so, so my workouts have suffered and I have only managed 2 real long runs, so my confidence isn’t top notch, but I feel like I should still have my form after a good year of running. I am at about 79kg too, which is pretty decent for me, I wouldn’t mind dropping 1kg more before Berlin if possible though. My aim in Berlin will be a sub2:50, the equivalent 5k time would be 17:44, so faster than that was my goal time. Continue reading “Mainzer Firmenlauf 2016 – 10th place”

Wallertheim 10km 2016 – 2nd Place

On Thursday when I went for a run, my knee started hurting a few km from the end. It was pretty painful, but went away after a few minutes. On Friday I ran to work, and it happened again, and again when I ran home, not ideal and I considered having a few days off running to let it heal. Wallertheim 10k isn’t the most important race of the year for me, so I could run it or not, no problem. I did worry that if I didn’t run, the fast guys wouldn’t turn up and I would miss my chance to win the race. Then on Friday evening Jochen said that he would run too, so it was decided, I would run.

On Saturday morning Jochen wrote again, he wouldn’t run, he drank too much on Friday night, so I thought I would just cycle, I got ready to ride, then saw another message, Jochen would run after all, but he would drive to the start, so I put my running stuff in my bag, and cycled to Wallertheim. Continue reading “Wallertheim 10km 2016 – 2nd Place”