Weblog van Alex Reuneker over taal, hardlopen, wielrennen en reizen

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Wielerrondje Schiedam-Kalmthout-Breda

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Onlangs las ik Ga op de fiets van Irene Maaskant en Laura Maat. Een leuk en mooi vormgegeven boek dat je enthousiast maakt om zelf ook wat langere tochten te fietsen. Tel daarbij op dat ik laatst de site Vrienden op de Fiets ontdekte, waarop je tegen een klein bedrag logeeradressen kunt vinden, en de zin om zelf een tweedaagse tocht te maken was er.

Na een hardlooptraining vertrok ik op dinsdagochtend richting Zeeland, om via Stellendam, Middelharnis en langs Bergen op Zoom naar Kalmthout te rijden. Buitenland (België), maar toch niet zo heel ver weg. De benen waren flink zwaar na het hardlopen en net te weinig eten helpt ook niet. Gelukkig had ik lunch en koffie in een thermos mee, dus na een kilometer of 50 ben ik in Middelharnis gestopt. Dat deed me goed en de tocht ging erna wat makkelijker.

enter image description here Lunch in Middelharnis

De wind zat wel tegen en dat is niet zo fijn in Zeeland, zeker niet als je de Oosterschelde over moet. Uiteindelijk kon ik, ter hoogte van Rilland, naar het Oosten afbuigen en vanaf dat punt ging het een flink stuk makkelijker; minder wind tegen en meer beschutting. In Ossendrecht vulde ik de bidon nog een keer en nam ik een drankje, want de temperatuur was inmiddels flink gestegen. Het laatste stuk naar Kalmthout was erg mooi, want je rijdt dan langs de Kalmthoutse heide.

enter image description here Het bos bij Kalmthout

In Kalmthout zelf vond ik snel het logeeradres. Twee aardige gepensioneerden, Christianne en Jos, lieten me de fiets in hun schuurtje zetten en leidden me rond. We hebben even wat gedronken en de kamer bekeken. Het was de oude jongenskamer van een van hun zoons en dat maakte het lekker huiselijk. Wat niet ontbrak waren de Suske en Wiskes - dit is hét stripdorp bij uitstek, want Willy Vandersteen, de bedenker van Suske en Wiske, woonde en tekende hier tot aan zijn dood in 1990. Na het douchen en eten in het dorpje trok ik mij moe met het album De Poezelige Poes terug in de slaapkamer. Het zou niet laat worden, want de vermoeidheid is goed voelbaar.

De volgende ochtend gaan we om 7 uur aan het ontbijt en dat is prima verzorgd - lekkere yoghurt met muesli en een vers gekookt scharreleitje. Gezellig ook, want de de gastvrouw- en heer ontbijten mee en we praten over van alles en nog wat. Vooral onze reizen naar Afrika - zij naar Zuid-Afrika, wij onlangs naar Tanzania - vormen onderwerp van gesprek. Na het ontbijt bedank ik Christianne en Jos voor de gastvrijheid en goede zorgen en stap ik op de fiets om via een ommetje, langs het Suske en Wiske-beeld bij station Heide en het Suske en Wiske-museum, aan de terugtocht te beginnen.

enter image description here Het Suske en Wiske-standbeeld bij station Heide

Bij het museum mogen normaliter alleen groepen naar binnen, maar het was nog vroeg en een medewerker zag me een foto ‘trekken’. Hij vroeg me naar binnen te komen en gaf me spontaan een privé-rondleiding - wat een geluk, zeg, echt heel leuk!

enter image description here Het Suske en Wiske-museum

Na het museumbezoek zet ik de tocht voort en ik stop rond de 30 kilometer voor koffie die ik meekreeg in Kalmthout.

enter image description here Koffiestop onderweg naar Breda

Daarna reed ik door naar Breda, om koffie bij Kamu te drinken - ook die tip haalde ik uit Ga op de fiets. Die koffie blijkt heel erg goed (aanrader!) en de zaak zelf is ook het bezoeken waard - een mengeling van café en wielerzaak.

enter image description here Koffie en fietsen bij Kamu in Breda

Na Breda vervolg ik de weg in de richting van Zevenbergen om daarna, bij Moerdijk, met het pontje naar Willemsdorp te varen. Onder de Dordtsche Kil door rijd ik naar ’s Gravendeel. Het begint inmiddels flink rond lunchtijd te lopen, dus ik eet er wat op het pleintje voor de kerk.

enter image description here De laatste stop in 's Gravendeel

Daarna is het nog zo’n dertig kilometer naar huis en die rijd ik aan een stuk door, want het gaat heerlijk, al is het wel erg benauwd. Zo rond 14.30 kom ik thuis aan en kijk ik tevreden terug op een mooie tocht van in totaal zo'n 250 kilometer en een geslaagd Vrienden op de Fiets-experiment.

Weight comparison: Forerunner 735XT vs Fenix 6S Pro

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This is a short post with some info I searched for when considering a Fenix 6S Pro during Black Friday.

I used a Forerunner 735XT for a long time, after a 645 (which was practically worthless), and a 230 and a 235, which I loved. The only thing I couldn't really convince myself of was the weight of my Forerunners, which are very light indeed, and the added weight of a Fenix. I opted for the S version, as I have small wrists and it is the lightest version.

First, the weight of the 735XT is 40 grams.

enter image description here

Second, the the weight of the Fenix 6S Pro is 60 grams.

enter image description here

I have weighted both watches multiple times, with the same results. Both watches have the default Garmin straps on them.

Conclusion: the Forerunner 735XT weighs 2/3 or 66% of the Fenix 6S Pro. However, I don't really feel it while running or wearing it during the day. The only time it is noticeable for me is while in bed, but it doesn't really bother me.

Leenderbos Ultra Trail (52K)

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On Saturday May 15th, one of my running mates at RA and I organised a trail run in Leende, Brabant, just south of Eindhoven. As the pandemic is still with us, we kept it small and easy by inviting only our group members and using gpx files for navigation. Ten people participated, and it was a day to remember!

enter image description here The runners at the start of the Leenderbostrail

The courses

We offered routes of 22K, 32K, and 42K, but there was also a 52K ultra trail. All routes were almost exclusively on non-paved surfaces like single tracks and forest paths.

I doubted between doing the 32K and the 42K, because technically I'm still recovering from my 2:46 PB on the marathon last month. However, two of the other runners opted for the 52K and eventually I decided, 15 minutes prior to the start, to join them.

enter image description here The 52K route

A 52K ultra (or, as someone called it, a 'baby ultra')

Although I did taper a bit last week, and I carb-loaded (though not as extensively as last month), this was no perfect preparation, of course. I did not regret it, however! The running went smooth, we enjoyed the forests, paths and company. Apart from one very heavy shower, the weather was quite nice. There were very, very muddy parts, and one part in which the water came up to our ankles, but in retrospect those things are part of the fun. The route wasn't correct all the time and we had to reroute a number of times, but luckily one of us had a Garmin Forerunner 945 with maps, so I had just to follow along. Navigation has never been my strong suit...

enter image description here The 52K group after the trail run

I think the hardest part for me was between 40 and 45K. After that, I was able to speed up the pace again, but I just hit that largely mental point at which I struggled to find joy in what I was doing. Although running together for 52K is great the whole time, for me, these are the times running in a small group keeps me focused. I think one of the other two runners also hit the same point, but later on, just when I got out of it. To be honest, I definitely was the weakest runner of the three, at least when looking at race times, so I couldn't help but feeling I held them up a bit, but they denied that, and apart from that, this was no race. (However, as many runners, I do want to keep a certain pace, of course, which we managed.)

In the end, we finished the 52.1K in 4:05:04, with an average pace of 4:42 per kilometre (that's 7:34 per mile).

enter image description here 51.1K

Given the unpaved, slippery and sometimes rough terrain with and really deep puddles and mudd, I'm very happy with that.

enter image description here It was quite muddy out there...

enter image description here Still great shoes, those New Balance Minimus Trail editions

Afterwards

We bought some pre- and post-run snacks for the group, and my wife offered to bake quinoa-blueberry power bars from Donna Hay, which were delicious.

enter image description here Sticky and delicious

All in all, it was not only great to complete a 52K trail run together, but also to have a day off together, and to enjoy running, company and snacks together!

enter image description here Post-run stretching and eating

Short heart rate chest strap tip

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Recently I bought a new heart rate strap. I have owned a number of Garmin straps, but they all break down when changing batteries, even when replacing the rubber o-ring. There's much to say about that, but let's just leave at the fact that I was fed up with that. As always, I checked many reviews, including DCRainmaker, of course.

In the end, I opted for what many hail as the most accurate heart rate strap, namely the Polar H10. I was, therefore, very unpleasantly surprised that it really didn't work that well. Specifically, going for a run meant having around 3K's of extremely low heart rates. I did all the manual asked of me – yes, I really did read it – and that was exactly the problem.

The problem was that all strap manual ask you to moisten the pads that go on your skin, but I found a YouTube video (see below) that shows how wrong that advice is.

The drops of water have already left the pads, because those are very smooth and slippery. As the video will show you, it is much better to moisten your skin a bit and then properly put the dry strap on. I've tried it, and now the strap works absolutely fine. Thank you, Tom Tech!

Marathon pacing 2021: course, wind, and team work

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As I discussed earlier, I was in doubt whether I should start at a 4:05 pace, and probably race alone, or join a group of another athletics club taking a 4:00 pace. As 4:00 was my plan A, and there was a lot of wind (I felt it immediately cycling to the course), I opted for the latter.

The course and wind

The course was a loop of 5 kilometres which you had to complete 8 times. The loop had a small detour, in order to arrive at the finish at 42.195K instead of 40K. This way, during the pandemic, only a small piece of cycling paths had to be guarded and inspected by volunteers. They did a great job handing out water, keeping the course clean et cetera, so thanks for that!

enter image description here The course (small loop to the right is the 'extra' 2K)

The course itself had a small hilly bit, which, in all countries besides the Netherlands, would probably just count as flat. As I mentioned earlier, each loop had approximately 2K of strong head wind, which was a pity, but given that the weather forecasts predicted snow up until two days prior, I'm not complaining too much. The only downside to the course was a very, very slippery part, which was covered in some kind of mash of wet, flattened leaves. I nearly fell two times, and I wasn't the only one. People asked me whether it wasn't tough mentally to do 5K loops, but for me it wasn't. The nice thing of such a course is that you know exactly how far you are, and after a round or two, you know which parts are the gnarly bits and at which parts you can increase your pace a bit.

Team work

We did the first K at 3:59, then 4:01 (head wind), and then some K's in the low 3:50's. We kept each other at watch for the pace, and after a few kilometres, it evened out at a pace consistently around 3:56-3:58. Fast (for me), but it felt great and changing lead every 2 kilometres worked very well.

enter image description here Team work (this was the full group, I think)

In the first half, when the group was around 8 men strong, this meant head wind only once in 16K, but soon runners started to drop and I think we entered the second half with a group of around 6 people, and after 32, we were left with four. This meant more head wind, but still, it beats running alone! The group work was – in my view – perfect, and it felt good to return favours constantly. At the end, two runners indicated they couldn't bear anymore head wind, to the other one and I took the lead some more. All in all, it was a nice piece of team work.

Final thoughts

I'm am really very glad that I chose to join the 4:00 group at the start. I shaved more than 12 minutes of off my PB (from 2:58:43 to 2:46:37)! We also had some nice small chats, shared some water bottles (which you should'nt, of course, in times of corona), and when some runner messed up the provisions table, making it impossible to grab my last Torq-gel, another runner in the group offered me a piece of banana. That's what I love about running: I guess everyone dreams of racing and winning like Kipchoge, but in the end, were all in it together to beat our own previous PB's and that motivates people to share, care and race hard. Great!

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