Monthly report: Sep-2010

UltraBirken-2010

In short this month has consisted of two weeks of tapering and an competition period of two weeks-the latter with one A-priority competition at the end of the week.
In the beginning of the tapering-period I suffered from a ligth stretch in both my hamstrings. In addition I was subjected to a virusinfection that put me off for a couple off days.
At the end of the tapering period I felt very fit, but experienced injury-problems. I had pain in my butt  right where the muscles of the feet is attached to the butt. I spent some time stretching and made use of ice and managed to reduce the pain. I didn't disappear, though.
First week of the competition period I participated in the race UltraBirken. I finsihed, but somewhat slower than I'd expected. I experienced again pain in my butt and felt a bit unfit on race-day. I endured a great deal of pain to finish the race. The race was nearly pure trail and I need to train more on racelike conditions to improve on my finish time.
Second week of the competition period I was just resting and trying to recover after UltraBirken which cost a lot of effort to finish. Anyway, I felt rather fit at Berlin Marathon and managed again to finish at PB under difficult conditions with a crowdlike race and lousy weather.

Evaluation:
I went through three, tough races in August-the last one at the end of the month-and I didn't recover properly before starting the tapering period. As a matter of fact I needed to start the tapering period a week earlier. I've been putting a lot of strain on my body both in July and August and I suffered from that in September. I have scheduled to many competitions on a limited time-range. In addition I'm not good enough to differ between hard and easy workouts. Further on my quality workouts is to lengthy. Not including cross-training in
the building period was a mistake. I paid the price with experiencing injuries in my hamstrings and butt.
Both the races taught me invaluable lessons. First I need to train more in the terrain to improve on my time. Second I'm able to endure a lot of pain allready and I'm sure that I can improve a lot on that area by including mental training in my programme. Thirdly, I need to improve on my nutrition-intake during my races-I have to establish a routine. Fourth, my core is weak and I need to improve on that in order to increase on my running pace and keep it steady over the whole time of the race. Fifth, I'm attending to many races. It wears me out and leave me less prepared for the important races. Sixth, I need to improve on my recovery routine-in general and after competitions.

1. Total activity:
-Workouts: 12, including 2 A-priority competitions
-Distance: 224,9 km
-Time: 25h 3m 4s
-Verticals: 2.948 m
-Calories: 14.805 C
-Days off: 18 days of 30(60 %, the whole month is in the tapering and competition period adn half a week in the transition period).

2. Running:
-Workouts:10
-Distance: 208,59 km
-Time: 23h 21m 50s
-Verticals: 2.836 m
-Calories: 13.919 C

3. Bike:
-Workouts: 1
-Distance: 16,34 km
-Time:  51m 14s
-Verticals: 112 m
-Calories: 886 C

4. Strength:
-Workouts: 0
-Time: 0m

5. Flexibility:
-Workouts: 1 (sportsmassage)
-Time: 50m

6. Shoes(as of 3th of Oct):
-Mizuno Wave Ronin (purchased 8.4.10)     : 512 km
-Puma Concinnity (purchased 30.4.10)        : 220 km
-Montrail Masochist (purchased 14.5.10)     : 415 km
-Mizuno Wave Aero 8 (purchased 28.7.10) : 146 km
-Saucony Kinvara (purchased 9.9.10)          : 56 km
-Puma Trailfox (purchased sep 2006)          : 40 km

Weakly report: 38/10

UltraBirken-2010

Being the last week in the competition period I had only two goals for this week-to recover from UltraBirken last Saturday and run a good race at Berlin Marathon on Sunday. It seems like I managed both as I finished Berlin Marathon with a new PB. At the beginning of the week my feet felt pretty worn out from Saturdays race and I paid a visit to my therapist for a sportsmassage. I'm pretty sure that paid off. In addition I should have done some more stretching during the week-my feet felt a bit heavy during the race. However, I've just finished a mesocycle of training(third quarter of the year-from 12th of July) and right now I think what the body need is rest. Next week is allready planned as transition period before I start the next mesocycle(fourth quarter of the year). It was interesting to learn that I was able to run two demanding races with just a weeks difference in time. However, in order to secure the best possible result I need to choose one A-priority race.
There are a few important things to improve on when it comes to my marathon running. First one is nutrition before, during and after the race. Second is to establish more strength in my core. Third is to endure more pain in order to keep a steady pace-keeping a steady pace will be my key issue from now on. Fourth is to do some more research when it comes to what marathon-race is best suitable for what I'm trying to achieve.



Technicals: 

1. Total amount of training since 1th of January: 
237,6h/ 7,2h pr week(Running: 187,9h/1.752,9 km) 
Verticals: Not monitored before 6th of June 

2. Total amount of training since 12th of July: 
86,4h /7,9h pr week (Running: 79,6h/ 734 km) 
Verticals: 10.930 m( Running: 10.293 m) 

3. Total amount of training this week:
3h 44m(Running: 3h 44m / 42,2 km)
Verticals: 146 m(Running: 146 m) 

4. Body weight: 71,7 kg
(Saturday morning) 

5. Shoes:
-Mizuno Wave Ronin (purchased 8.4.10)     : 512 km
-Puma Concinnity (purchased 30.4.10)        : 220 km
-Montrail Masochist (purchased 14.5.10)     : 415 km
-Mizuno Wave Aero 8 (purchased 28.7.10) : 146 km
-Saucony Kinvara (purchased 9.9.10)          : 56 km
-Puma Trailfox (purchased sep 2006)          : 40 km

Race report: Berlin Marathon, 26th of Sep-2010

Minimarathon, Unter  den Linden

When I awake it's dark. I can't hear anything at this moment but I suspect it's still raining outside. Cold, dense rain that patiently soakes into your body and wears you out as minutes is adding to hours. A quick breakfast, preparing my gear, dressing and I'm on my way towards the starting area. Drops of cold rain wets my skin as I run slowly towards the starting area-trying to warm up a body still stiff after a nights sleep and stribing to prevent it from getting colder due to the rain.
The starting area is packed. Tousands of people running around in plastic covers in a desperate effort to prevent the rain from doing harm as ment to. As I navigate through the crowd to localise my particular starting field I sense a growing excitement and I wonder how on earth all these people are going to get mowing in a way that allows all runners to have an honest possibility to perform at his/her best. Loud music alternates screaming from the loudspeakers situated on both sides of the starting area-which is huge. Tens of thousands of people lined up in a massive manifestation of hopes, dreams, fears and courrage.
Suddenly were on our way, or should be, the people in front of me are only moving sligthly, working their way towards the starting line. Right after starting I find myself navigating between slow-going runners, queing up in line whenever the course turns and experiencing irritation, disbelief and some rage on my on behalf as the race takes me through the first 5-10 km. It's impossible to establish a steady pace. I take advantage of every free pavement, street-stone and try to run continually on each of the sides of the road. Somehow I think that gives less hindrance. This isn't the way it was going to be. I was supposed to feel energetic and have a good run on a very levelled course. Funny as it may be I feel very energetic. I need on several occasions at this part of the race to tell me self to slow down. After working on my self for a while I establish a steady pace as planned and passes each 5 km within one minutes of my scheduled passing time. On 10 km I'm feeling a familiar pain in my butt. I thought I'd taken care of that last week, but it returns to accompany me in this race as well.

Rain, a wet road, thousand of spectators along the course and me-trying to live up to my own expectations.
A though call, but  in a way I manage to enter a sort of running zone, enabling myself to focus on my working tasks and slowly but decisive make my way through each km that's facing me and a steady, enduring pain.
Circus Berlin Marathon. A course crowded with spectators awaiting to se their particular woman or man or just every other runner taking part in fullfilling their own dream of some time, at some distant point of time, to run a marathon in person. The crowd cheering not the participants, but artists in a circus orchestrated by the arranger.

Rollerbladeskaters-approaching the finish

My pace is steady as ever as I pass the 24 km mark and sense an urge to visit the toilette in a serious manner. Knowing myself and my needs pretty well, I know that this has to be done as soon as possible. Shortly after I enter a trattoria, greats the owner and heads down in the cellar to the toilette to attend to my needs.
After just over 5 minutes I'm on my way again. Relieved-not to loose over 5 minutes, but to had it over with. I suspected that this was going to happen. That was a serious blow to my scheduled finish time, but I can consentrate on my other target, which is a new PB. It's very hard to regain pace after this incident, but I soon establish a steady pace and contiune toward the finish line.
A growing number of my fellow participants is starting to walk, stretch and show every sign of an accumulating load of strain-and giving in to the little voice in the head to back off. In moments like this it pays dividends to have a strategy for the race ready and implemented in advance-like I have. My thoughts know then is to endure the pain and keep a steady pace. In addition I can clearly see the need to supplement my energy-supplies. Taking walking breaks at a few supply stations to supply with energy drink, bananas and water, I loose some more minutes. With less than 10 km left I decide to make do with what I've stocked up with on my two stops and force myself towards the finish line. My focus now is how many km it is to the finish line and available minutes left in order to finish at a new PB. Relieved to pass Kurfurstendam I know it's just a bit over 7 km left. Potdsdamer Platz is another welcoming landmark and when I turn left to finally run on Unter den Linden towards Brandenburger Tor I try to squeese what's left of energy left in my body. My pace increase sligthly, the pain a lot. I'm not sure about my finish time before I run under the solid collumns of Brandeburger Tor. Able to se the finish line a couple of hundred metres further on I miraculosly manage to speed up slightly. Running now is very painful, but I don't seem to mind anymore. Crossing the finish line at new PB I'm done-real done-will triumphing over body. Apparently my condition is visble to others as well as a representative from the arranger approach me and wonders wether everything is in order. I confirm that it is, but he doesn't seem utterly convinced. After a few minutes catching my breath, I start to walk-or rather, try to walk. Funny, a few minutes ago I was running at fast pace and now I can barely walk. Butt and the back of my thighs are cooperating in an effort to make walking as difficult as possible. After a short while and some welcoming intake of energy, I'm done for now.
What I will remember most from this marathon-event was the pure joy exhibited by the childrens as they were about to finish their mini-marathon the day before the race, the determination of the wheel-chair competitors starting off a few minutes before the runners on race-day and the finish of the roller-blade competitors as they headed down Unter den Linden towards the finish line.

Technicals:

Finish time: 3h 44m 32s-New personal best!

Placement: 

-Overall: 858 av 7.430

-Class rank: 182 av 1.448
-Finishers overall: 34.027

Splits(average pace):

-5 km          : 25:06 (5:01)

-10 km        : 25:07 (5:01)

-15 km        : 24:44 (4:56)

-20 km        : 24:58 (4:59)

-21,0975     : 1h 46m 52s (5:04)-higher due to deviation in distance

-25 km        : 30:03 (6:00)-including a toilette visit of 5:17

-30 km        : 26:18 (5:15)

-35 km        : 27:23 (5:28)

-40 km        : 26:36 (5:19)

-42,195 km : 14:15 (5:01), I logged 42,84 km a deviation of 0,65 km. That's pretty much.

Total average pace: 5:19

Verticals: 146 m

Calories: 3.107

Equipment:

-Clothing: T-Shirt, short thights, bandana-all from GORE. Excellent functioning.

-Shoes: Saucony Knivara-wonderful shoes

-Drinking belt: Perfekta, 8 bottles-served me well, but I need to find other solutions on later races.

Evaluation:
Again to establish a strategy in advance worked wonders all the way through the race when it comes to consentrating on executing the working tasks necessary to keep a steady pace. I needed to supply with energy from supply stations along the course. The reason for that was partly that what I brought along wasn't sufficient and partly that I didn't ate enough in advance. I need to improve on both points. Secondly I need a new solution when it comes to energy-intake during the race. Using supply stations is out of the question for many reasons. To time consuming, uncertainty when it comes to what kind of energy is available.
Thirdly, I clearly need to work on the strength in my core. It's preventing sufficient executing of technique-especially in the last third of the race. That's something to work serious on my strength training during the winter that lies ahead of me. Fourth I sense the benefit from working on the mental part. It kept me in the race untill I was through with it. My aim though is to keep a steady pace throughout all the race. With a positive split of 11 minutes I have something to work on. Fifth, Berlin Marathon is a circus-it's not a race in which you run to head for a PB. If you wanna have fun, go ahead and race, but don't expect anything more than that. It's unlikely that I'll participate in it again.

The GARMIN-logfile can be found here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/50684468

The results from the race can be found here:
http://results.real-berlin-marathon.com/2010/


Pictures from the race can be found here:
http://www.real-berlin-marathon.com/events/berlin_marathon/2010/fotos.en.php

Media coverage:
http://www.kondis.no/risa-best-av-de-norske-i-berlin.4822847-127145.html

Berlin Marathon, 26th of Sep: Preparations

Thuringen Ultra 2010

Well, this is it. I have arrived at one of this years main targets. During the year I have had PB's at all new marathons I've participated in. A total of 6 marathons of which 4 is on the road and two on trails.
The first marathon was in Rome 21th of March with a finish time of 4h 18m 50s-an improvement from last years PB of 4h 31m 10s(Oslo Marathon).
Since then I've raced in Ålesund 8th of May( 3h 52m 9s), in Copenhagen 23th of May(3h 49m 14s) and in Stavanger 28th of Aug(3h 46m 21s). In addition two marathons on trails, but those are not comparable to street-races.
Being able to improve every time is good but very challenging when the next race is due-like now. Anyhow, I've made good preparations when it comes to training, tapering and other necessities.
Now it's time to establish a race-strategy. First of all I need to decide on the pace. Average pace in Stavanger was 5:22. Clearly my aim is to do better than that. I need to forget about time and consentrate on my tasks which is: keep a steady pace, supply with nutrition as planned and enter my zen-zone.
My target pace in this race is going to be 5 min/km. That will  result in a finish time of 3h 31m. With an extra effort the last 2km I'll reach the finish line within 3h 30m. Split times(5km) trhoughout the race will be 25m.
Strategy:
-Warm-up: I'm doing 10 min light run before start combined with 5 min stretching.
-Nutrition: I'm using a drinking belt with 8 bottles of energy-drink of 0,15 l each. I'm not stopping at any supply stations at all. No solid food before the race on race day.
-Shoes: Saucony Kinvara
-Clothing: Singlet, short thights-both from GORE
-Mental part: It's important to endure a lot of pain in order to obtain my targeted pace. In order to do that I'm consentrating on keeping the pace at all times, focusing on fullfilling the km I'm in, embracing and examing any pain that occurs and staying in my zen-zone at all times-one step at the time up till ten and again throughout all the race. In addition I'm visualising my performance in advance-running through every step of the course in advance in order to programme myself mentally to perform.

Finally, most important of all, have a good run.

Weakly report: 37/10

UltraBirken 2010

A good week. I've had one workout-a treshold session- and a race-UltraBirken. The latter being an A-priority target for the third quarter. I was hoping for a better finish time( 1h better), but I couldn't perform better at this race. Reasons for that is partly the conditions-it was very wet and almost like running in a stream for about 2/3 of the race. In addition I suffered from a stretch in my butt that forced me to slow down due to lack of ability to execute adequate technique. Finally I haven't trained enough in the terrain. Overall I'm very satisfied with the race for three reasons. First is that I finished allthough I suffered very much. Second is that there was a lot to learn from the race and third it's always a pleasure to be running in the nature for such a lengthy period of time. Next A-priority target now is Berlin marathon on 26th of Sep. My target there is to finish with a new personal best.


Technicals: 

1. Total amount of training since 1th of January: 
233,8h/ 7,3h pr week(Running: 184,2h/1.710,7 km) 
Verticals: Not monitored before 6th of June 

2. Total amount of training since 12th of July: 
82,71h /8,3h pr week (Running: 75,9h/ 691,8 km) 
Verticals: 10.785 m( Running: 10.147 m) 

3. Total amount of training this week:
11h 41m(Running: 11h 41m/83,6 km)
Verticals: 1.868 m(Running: 1.868 m) 

4. Body weight: 70,0 kg
(Sunday morning) 

5. Shoes:
-Mizuno Wave Ronin (purchased 8.4.10)     : 512 km
-Puma Concinnity (purchased 30.4.10)        : 220 km
-Montrail Masochist (purchased 14.5.10)     : 415 km
-Mizuno Wave Aero 8 (purchased 28.7.10) : 146 km
-Saucony Kinvara (purchased 9.9.10)          : 14 km
-Puma Trailfox (purchased sep 2006)          : 40 km

UltraBirken, 18th of Sep-2010: Race report

At the start in Rena

UltraBirken is a trailrun that is runned between the towns Rena and Lillehammer. It has four aid- and check-points. First one is Skramstadsætra after some 12 km, next one is Åkersætra after 36 km, third is Sjusjøen after 52 km and finally the finish at Lillehammer after 73,4 km. It's almost entirly on trail with major parts of it even off-trail. The course navigates through large stretches of marshland. Weather was good most of the day, but it got a bit windy when crossing over Snørvillen and it rained a bit on a minor stretch after Sjusjøen. It had rained a lot before the starting and the ground was very wet. Most of the time between Skramstadsætra and Sjusjøen it was like running in a stream. Very time consuming and effortfull.

Romerike Ultraløperklub at the start in Rena

Start went off at 7 a.m and my aim was to reach the first check-point with an average pace of maximum 6 min/km. I didn't manage that. I felt right after the start that something wasn't functioning quite well. My feet felt a bit heavy and I had had some discomfort due to stretches in my butt-I thought they were gone last week, but hey they returned just in time to make this race an ordeal. I needed to slow down and even walk some of the most hilly ascends. I felt really surprised to learn this, but carried on with my running. After all this was still early in the race and my experiences could alter later on. Arriving at the first check-point at Skramstadsætra I changed shoes from Mizuno Ronin to Puma Trailfox. That pit-stop went fairly well-only used 5 minutes there. Average pace so far was 6.46-a bit more than planned-leaving me 9m behind schedule.

At Bjørnåsbjerget

Eager to get on and maybe gain some time I headed out for the next strech which was going to be the most demanding of them all. The trail was very wet. We ran in mud and water almost continually and there were large parts of marshland. On the marshland I was bound to walk and lost a great deal of time due to that. I experienced severe discomfort due to the stretch in my butt and had to force myself to run where I clearly needed to in order to maintain momentum. On two or three occasions I slipped and went down in the mud. Luckilly I didn't get injured. Arriving at Åkersetra after crossing a river just before-the water almost went up to my mid-I was seriously thinking to DNF. My butt was really hurting, my feet were nearly done and my spirit was low. Well, I didn't. Why didn't I? Tough question. I think when I'm going to DNF there has to be present a severe damage that prevents me from finishing or an injury that clearly will develop into something serious if I finish. I could't classify my experiences in those categories. I was just really hurting and having a bad time. Clearly these are not reasons to DNF! Average pace on the section was 9:10-leaving me 1h 2m behind schedule.

Crossing Åstaelva at Åkersetra

After some refuelling, some potato chips and a cup of coffee I carried on with the race. The trail went up for some time and levelled out when starting to cross a major marsh-land. Luckily timber was placed on most of the trail and because of that it was possible to keep momentum at a resonable level. Ascending towards the hilltop "Snørrvillen", the race' highest point, the view was simply fantastic! It was worth the run from Rena just to experience that view. The horizon was mostly clear, but I could see that some dark clouds were approaching from the north. It was time to descend down to the third check point. Arriving at Sjusjøen I was I was eager to refuel and get on with the remaining part of the race. My pain was still there, but I'd decided to not acknowledge it. I changed shoes(wonderful), refuelled and went out. Average pace on the section was 9:22-leaving me 1h 3m behind schedule.

Sjusjøen-refuelling

The course went up for some while, but before long it started to descend. The condition of the course was much better than on the previous sections, but I couldn't manage to gain enough momentum in order to obtain the pace I wanted. Maybe I'm wasn't pushing enough? Anyway, I kept a steady pace, passed several runners and arrived at the finish in Lillehammer having spent 10h 52m 27s on the course.
Average pace was 8:50-leaving me 1h 7m behind schedule.

Results, total:
-Finish time: 10h 52m 27s
-Placement: 4th overall

-Verticals: 1.782 m
-Shoes: Mizuno Ronin, Puma Trailfox and Montrail Masochist
-Weather: Partly cloudy, some sun, 10-12 degrees celsuis, little wind-severe some times


This was an interesting race in many ways. I feel that there is a lot to learn from it. First thing that springs to mind is my need for improvement when it comes to running technique and endurance in the terrain. I have had workouts in the terrain on average once a week, but that is clearly not enough. I'll correct that when preparing for competitions in the end of the second quarter next year. Secondly I need to establish another regime when it comes to nutrition. It worked out well to drink energy-drink, eat potato chips and drink cola, but I need more storage space than the one my present sack is providing. I'll also skip using the drinking belt on ultra-runs and use a camel-back or something similar. The mental part is more influential than I thought it would be. It made me finish the run at a point where I nearly thought I'd DNF. Further on I need to train to push myself more-endure more pain. That means to run when it hurts if that's needed to keep the pace as planned.
What's worth remembering from this race is all there was to learn from it and that I was able to finish when I thought I wouldn't.

The GARMIN-logfile can be found here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49541940

Results from the race can be found here:
http://resultatservice.birkebeiner.no/sok_resultater2.php

Ullevål course: treshold session. Ready for action!

Thuringen Ultra-2010

Last workout before the first competition is due. It'll be held on Saturday this week. It's an ultrarun on trail-"UltraBirken", 73 km, in Norway-from Rena to Lillehammer crossing the mountain area in between.
I felt fresh today. The aim with todays workout was to ensure that speed is maintained. I succeeded in carrying out a good session with sub 5-pace and without putting to much effort in to it. The stretch in the left part of my butt is fading. I only noticed a slight discomfort at the end of the session. I'm icing that down. I'm confident that I'll be very fit on Saturday. Since 12th of July I've had 72h of training of which 64 is running. I've runned 618 km and climbed 8.366 m while running-almost on top of Mount Everest-certainly more than K2. Now I'm ready for action!

Tecnicals:
-Distance: 9,79 km
-Time: 49m 00s
-Average pace: 5:00 min/km
-Working pace: 4:57 min/km, 7,55 km
-Elevation gained: 87 m(8,9 m/km)-below 10,ok.
-Calories: 689 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.
-Shoes: Saucony Kinvara-excellent shoes
-Weather: Clouded, 14 degrees celsius, strong breeze, low humidity in the air

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/49138261

Weakly report: 26/10

Last weak this second quarter of 2010, and the end of the competition period this time. The latter culminated in the race Thuringen Ultra at Saturday the 3th of July-a trailrun of 100km and 2.150m of verticals.
Before that I had one session of running on Thursday-a short run around Tiergarten in Berlin.
The race went very vell. I'm very satisfied to have finished well within my target of 14h.
I have never been so tired after a race. I just falled apart physically after the finish. Clearly I'd given all I had during the effort.


1. Total amount of training since 1th of January: 
151,1h / 6,3h pr week(Running: 108,3h / 1018,9 km)

2. Total amount of training since 6th of April: 
97,6h / 7,51h pr week (Running: 86,6h/804,7 km)

3. Total amount of training this week: Including the ultrarace, Thuringen Ultra
14,42h(Running: 14,42h/110 km)

Weakly report: 25/10. Recovery week

This week I've been mostly recovering from Kristins Runde last Saturday. I had a short session on a stationary bike on Thuesday and Thursday-both in zone 1.
On Monday I had a massage at my therapist to speed up recovery a bit. In addition I did some stretching on a regular basis throughout the week.
My body-and mind-felt ready for some running on Saturday again-one week after the race-and I headed out for a treshold-workout to check out my recovery. I was still a bit stiff, but overall it worked out just fine. I had a short, long run(2h) again in zone 2/3 on Sunday.
After one week of recovery I felt ready to prepare for a new race.

1. Total amount of training since 1th of January: 
136,7h / 5,94h pr week(Running: 93,9h / 908,9 km)

2. Total amount of training since 6th of April: 
83,2h / 6,93h pr week (Running: 72,22h/694,74 km)

3. Total amount of training this week: Including the ultrarace, Kristins Runde
3,94h(Running: 2,94h/30,9 km)

Running a bit long again

A little over a week since Kristins Runde. Today I had a short, long run of about 2h and just over 20km(12,4 miles). It's long enough to categorise as a long run, although short. Anyway, it was good to consentrate again on executing something that could remind me of a good running experience. I haven't had many running sessions during this period of competition and I clearly feel that this affects my running form. Especially the speed is suffering. I guess that's the price I have to pay to get ready for a race. Weather was lovely today. Sunny, hot with just a slight wind. I just love to run under such circumstances. It makes it really worthwhile to train during a long and cold winter through harsh conditions just to be able to appreciate what a truly good run is-a run like the one I had today. Well then, apart from some lost speed I have a minor pain in my left knee. I guess it's the solid pavement I've been running on after the race. Besides that I feel fit. I just need some more speed before the race next Saturday in Germany. I'll accomplish that through two workouts in the weeks to come.

Technicals:
-Distance: 20,1 km(12,47 miles)
-Time:  1h 54m 55s
-Average speed: 5,72 min/km(9,2 min/mile)
-Elevation gained: 233,5m(763 ft)
-Calories:  1.414 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): 162 (174)

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38332478

Back on the road again

It feels good to be running again, finally, after one weeks recovery from Kristins Runde last Saturday. Todays workout went good. In spite of very warm weather I managed to keep a good pace throughout all the session.
My feet are still a bit worn, but I'm perfectly able to deliver a good performance. Still I need to make efforts to stretch on a regular basis in the time to come. The workout was in zone 4. My intention from the start in order to test the body for weaknesses. Besides a tiny stiffness in the feet there weren't any. I'm glad to notice.
Well, one week left now and then I have a full week after that with no scheduled training-transition period.

Technicals:
-Distance: 10,8 km(6,7 miles)
-Time:  1h 1m 14s
-Average speed: 5,67 min/km(9,12 min/mile)
-Elevation gained: 114,6m(376 ft)
-Calories:  766 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): 164 (180)

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/38224059

Recovery-session on the bike

Another recovery-workout on my stationary-bike tonight. My feet are feeling better today. Mentally I'm feeling gradually better. The purpose of the biking-sessions is to speed up recovery by increasing the circulation of blood and drain out the waste. From almost not being able to walk on Monday, I'm fully capable of doing so today. In fact I could go for a little run. It's wise to wait a few more days, though. I need to feel perfectly fit. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes. Worst case is Monday next week. Best case is Saturday this week. That means a recovery-period of about a week. The race next Saturday in Thuringen is the last in this mesocycle(2. quarter of this year). After that I'm entering a transition period of one week with no scheduled training at all, before entering the next mesocycle(3. quarter).

Workout of tonight-back on my bike again

Recovery from Saturdays race is progressing. I had some qualified massage Yesterday and tonight I had a very light session of 30 min in zone 1 on my stationary-bike. Afterwards I spent another 10 minutes stretching my feet. My feet-especially my thighs-are still stiff, but it's getting better. My hope is to be able to train some racelike sessions next week-on Thuesday and Thursday. The ultra-race is on Saturday the 3th of July-starting at 4 a.m.
During this week I have scheduled another bike-session on Thursday and one on Saturday. Monday next week I'm having the last session with massage. Hopefully, I'll be properly recovered to regain some serious training the day after.

Weakly report: Week 24/10

This week I've consentrated solely on my A-priority race this first, half year of 2010, Kristins Runde.
In addition I carried out one workout on Thuesday.

I'm very satisfied with my result in the race. I'd never run that fare before-not even in training sessions. My longest session has been 51,5 km(32 miles). I finished 5 of 8 in my sex-group and 38 of 52 overall.
The finish time was 11h 33m 15s.
I've never been so tired after a run, but I enjoyed every minute of it. It was one of my best running-experiences ever. Already I long for more. I don't think it was a good move to run the race I did the week before-Nordmarka Forrestmarathon-when it comes to optimal preparation for the race. I'll have to reconsider that approach the next year.


1. Total amount of training since 1th of January: 
132,8h / 6,04h pr week(Running: 91,0h / 878,0 km)

2. Total amount of training since 6th of April: 
79,2h / 7,2h pr week (Running: 69,29h/663,87 km)

3. Total amount of training this week: Including the ultrarace, Kristins Runde
12,15h(Running: 12,15h/88,12 km)

Back on track: Running-workout of tonight

I was a bit surprised tonight. After having felt a bit stiff after last Saturdays race I was anxious to check out my runningform tonight. So I put on my favourite shoes-Mizuno Wave Ronin-and headed out for a short, fast run. What a relief! I felt almost like running on clouds. Putting my body under presure it responded perfectly well. I did an intervall of 4,77 km, using 23m 42s, with an average heart rate of 168(just belov treshold)resulting in an average pace of 5 min/km.

Technicals:
-Distance: 6,82 km(4,24 miles)
-Time:  35m 48s
-Average speed: 5,25 min/km(8,45 min/mile)
-Elevation gained: 48,2m(158 ft)
-Calories:  479 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): 163 (180)

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36996158