Pace and Grace

Here’s what my week looked like:

• 7 km easy run
• 1 km intervals (3 repeats)
• 11 km long run
• Two short strength sessions at home + one full-hour gym workout

Smooth Start

The first half of the week went great. The easy run felt truly easy (although my heart rate still runs high, so I had to keep the pace slow).
The interval session was solid — I kept a steady, strong pace without feeling drained afterward.

The strength workouts were light — just 20–25 minutes each at home. Nothing crazy.

The Long Run: A Lesson in What Not to Do

Now, let’s talk about the long run — because wow, I made all the classic mistakes.

It was rough. Really rough. The weather was hot, humid, and the sun was blazing. I’ve never liked the heat — honestly, that’s one of the reasons I moved to the Netherlands. And here’s where it went wrong:

• The pace. This time the app didn’t guide me, so I zoned out and ran too fast without realizing it. That alone made the run way harder than it should’ve been.
• The timing. I started late — almost 10 a.m. I hoped I’d beat the heat, but 20 minutes in, I knew that was wishful thinking.
• Too little water. I brought only half a liter, tried to ration it, and still ran out. Result: dehydration and a nasty headache.
• No sunscreen. Yep, I forgot it. No comment.

What I Did Right (and I’m Proud of It)

• Took walk breaks
• Stopped in the shade to let my heart rate recover

This might not sound like a big deal, but for me, it is. I used to think stopping meant failure.
But the real failure isn’t stopping — it’s not preparing properly for the run.