Cursa del Corte Inglés - 10k+

Still a bit uncomfortable, but we are back to running after a month of injuries and other health problems.

Today the "classical" popular run, la Cursa del Corte Inglés, a free run, what means many people, over 60.000, and a run for everyone, all ages and abilities and also a caos but for this run that is ok!!

Once again both Emma and Jordi signed up and our goal pace was according to being able to finish in 1 hour, which is a challenge on the quite hilly course just short of 11km.

This time we ended up running the 3 together. We entered our box just on time and since it looked to be a warm day just before being shot away Emma also changed into lighter clothing quickly and I put her jacket into my Salomon backpack... doing Ultras and the gear needed has it's benefits. Some two minutes after the start signal we started to move ahead as well and soon crossed the start line and were off for a nice run through the city. The first two kilometers we had to go zig-zag through the crowd but in spite of that went very fast in only 9 minutes and slowed down a bit to pass the 3km mark in 14 minutes. We passed Plaça de Espanya and headed for the first climb. Both Jordi and Emma struggled a bit there and we slowed down to not burn out. At the top we pass the first aid station and we take many bottles, once again making good use of by backpack and then recover on the long sloping downhill that leads us to the 5k mark. Soon after a shorter but steeper climb starts that will take us to the entrance of the Olympic Stadium. Once again both struggle but don't stop running and I cheer them on reminding them that this is the last climb. We pass the 6k mark in just over 33 minutes, on schedule, but with Emma and Jordi in need of going at easy pace. Inside the stadium I run ahead to make pictures...

Once outside we pass the second aid station and drink more water. Emma says she is feeling strong and recovered enough to try and go for the 1 hour mark, and me and Jordi take the long and winding downhill of Montjuic a bit more easy, eventhough from time to time Jordi picks up pace too. We pass the 10k mark in
56m45 (Emma in 55m58) and I call Montse to tell Emma is ahead of us, time to get the camera ready...
Soon we turn up the last street but Jordi is really toughing it out and sprinting is not to be. We finish in 1 hour and 38 seconds, tired but very happy nonetheless. Emma finished only 7 seconds outside the hour. Next year we will try again for sure!!!

...

Marathon Barcelona - 42k

3h38

La Llanera Trail - Sabadell - 42k

Today an "odd" day of training. Sundays have long runs scheduled at a rather high pace, but today I went out for a full marathon on the trails north of Sabadell. Friends that live there are members of the UES (Excursionist Union of Sabadell), helped organize this race. Also the course was unfamiliar for me, and it is always nice to explore new areas while running on trails that one by himself would not easily discover unless guided by the experts in the specific territory.

After the cold last week slowly temperatures have been rising again and for today it seemed like it even could be warm. I stood up early around 6am and soon after left for the train station to take ride to Sabadell Centre. The start of the race was very conveniently situated at some 100m from the last stations of the line and soon after picking up my bib I went to change into running gear. Contrary to the predictions it was rather cold and I walked around to stay warm.

At nine o'clock we were shot away and the pack of some 600 runners slowly picked up pace, apart from the front runners who right from the start set a high pace at this rather runnable course. After a some 10 minutes of running through the centre of Sabadell we go down to the river Ripoll and run along a path on the banks

74

153

MOLEVELT, WOUTER

VetM

02:46:34

04:36:32

The video of the race:

La Llanera Trail 2016 - marató de muntanya - Sabadell from Wouter Molevelt on Vimeo.

Cursa Sant Antoni 10k + 1 mile

Winter is here!! It arrived yesterday, finally!! So now, running in shorts and just a T-shirt on a Sunday morning I will do during race only! After a few minutes of shivering the warming up did exactly that and with only minutes to go to the start I entered my box for the last 10k race before the marathon next March.

The first kilometer was as always, crowded and tricky but I still managed to get it down in 3m45, so a good start for trying to break 39 minutes. Upto the 5k marker I was running fast and well on schedule for doing so, passing in 19m20 with 10 seconds margin, but I knew the second part was harder having more uphill streets. Just before 8k someone tripped me from behind! I did not fall, but it completely broke my rhythm and I passed the 9k marker with 12 seconds above the schedule now and not really feeling like sprinting it completely so I just kept good pace and accelerated the last few hundred meters to finish in 39m08. Still very happy with that. Only some two weeks ago I struggled with 40 minutes so I have improved much in a short time. Now onto the marathon, still 7 weeks of training to go.

This morning Jordi also had race. It was still very cold when he and Montse arrived at the start area. After watching 2 races of younger kids, it was Jordi's turn. He has done so many races now, that he moves around with confidence and even starts to play with how exactly he wants to run. He started in the middle of the pack. The first few runners were way out ahead, the first one finishing well under six minutes. Jordi was in a second spread out group and finished 23rd in 7m06. He said that he was happy with how he ran. Going faster and faster near the end in a controlled way. Next for him is la Cursa del Corte Ingles in April.

Cursa dels Nassos - 10k

Finally!!!! 10k under 40 minutes, only a few seconds, but very slowly 10k running form seems to come back now.

Technically I am half way the 4th week of my marathon training schedule, though I missed out of the first two weeks of training because I was very ill. Just before that I was already starting to run better and the restart is going quite well and hopefully I will have no more unexpected breaks until mid March. In marathon training terms running a 10k can be seen as a tempo-run. Also, since in the earlier races this year I struggled to maintain pace, this time I decided to go out slow and go with the 40 minutes pacer as long as I could.

The Cursa dels Nassos is different from most 10k since it is run in the afternoon. For being a winterday it was warm and I could easily go down to the beach and take of extra clothes right away before doing my warm up. I felt quite ok, a bit sore of the last training still, but nothing to worry about and with strength and endurance in the warmup sprints. The fastest box in this race is reserved for "under 37 minutes" and since it has been years now since I did so I had to start in the box just behind, but with the "go out easy" plans that was not a problem. The first 2 kilometers were very chaotic with people tripping and a lot of pushing but I was running comfortably some 20 meters behind the pacer. Going at a steady 4m/k pace. Upto the 5k marker I closed the gap to the pacer and just after that at the aidstation I passed the group, since I did not need water and did not see them anymore afterwards. I maintained pace though between the 5k and 8k markers the course is going up and down and I struggled with my breathing in the uphills. Once passed the 8k the road is flat or even slightly downhill and though I was running at my limit then I was still going at 4m/k pace and the last few hundred meters is downhill and I accelerated a little to make sure to finish under 40 minutes. Later at home my confirmed time was 39m51s. Now back to my training schedule and trying to stay healthy in 2016. Happy Newyear!!!!

Cursa Jean Bouin - 10k

On the first cold day of the year time to test my running form again.

41m42

Correbarri - 10k

40m25s.

... many days later...

That was not all there was to say about Correbarri, but between work, injury and other events I never completed the story untill now, three weeks later.

Early morning I jogged down to the beach where this race started. That is some 45 minutes.. so maybe a bit long for a warmup, but since I was not going for time I was ok with that. After the regular preparations we were shot away around 9am. It was good running weather, not too warm not to cold but I was somehow not a 100% comfortable eventhough running just below 4 minutes/k pace, a slow start. Until the half way mark I continued like that and then slowed down a little bit, though not as much as a few weeks ago and the last kilometer I had strength and breath left to sprint to the finish line.

In the days after my left hamstring played up and only last week I did 2 training sessions without the pain coming back. So from here we pick up the schedule again to see what we can do in the next 10k.