Helsfyr course-test-run: Race on Saturday?

Thueringen Ultra-2010

I've been suffering from a set of minor injuries the last couple of months. Last one in line was my knees. My measures when it comes to the latter has been to use support while running and ice afterwards. In addition I've been low on intensity while running(Luckily it complies with my training programme) and I've scheduled recovery days. This week I've noticed a rising degree of fitness and lesser problems with my knees. With a race coming up on Saturday it was time to test out if my knees were ready for some serious running again.
Equipped with my favourite shoes-Saucony Kinvara-I headed out in the dark, autumn evening. Not so chilly tonight as it has been recently. After a few hundred metres I could clearly feal that my feet were fresh. Wonderful! I finished the warm-up and went for a short-treshold session of around 4 km crusing at treshold pace. I didn't feel anything but a slight discomfort at the back of my right knee and I didn't use any support during the run. It didn't cause me any particular effort to run at treshold pace and I felt really excited during the session.
It's been quite a while since I've felt so fresh before a race. I'm also confident that I have enough amount of running to carry out a 6h race on Saturday, having runned three long runs in four weeks, two of 35 km and one of 45 km. I feel pretty set for the race. Question is, am I going to race?


Tecnicals:
-Distance: 5,42 km
-Time: 27m 44s
-Average pace: 5:07 min/km
-Average moving pace: 4:58 min/km
-Elevation gained: 44 m(8 m/km). Below 10-ok
-Calories: 386 kcal.
-Average heart rate(max): didn't measure
-Shoes: Saucony Kinvara
-Weather: Clouded, dark, 7degrees celsius, breeze,high humidity in the air

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

Majorstua course: Treshold session

Copenhagen Marathon, May-2010

Time for another treshold session. Being the end of the tapering period I'm down on elevation and pace. My aim with todays workout was to run a long treshold session on low to moderate elevation. With three days since my last workout I was pretty eager to get to work again. Originally I planned on running a 10 km race this weekend. I thought the race was on Sunday, but it appeared that the race was on Saturday! I felt pretty stupid discovering the fact by reading the result a few hours before I planned to leave for the race. Seems like I have to much in my mind these days. Well, enough about that. Todays session went fine. I managed to keep a steady pace of 5:02, didn't have any more than a slight discomfort in the left part on my butt and it seems like my virus-infection is long gone. First session with my new running shoes bought on Thursday this week. So far the shoes serves me well, middle stability, very good feeling while running and low cushioned. A good session!

Tecnicals:
-Distance: 14,33 km (*) Measured distance on GPS-watch 0,24 km to long.
-Time: 1h 13m 01s
-Average pace: 5:06 min/km
-Working pace: 5:02 min/km, 11,97 km
-Elevation gained: 139 m(9,7 m/km)-below 10,ok.
-Calories: 1.017 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.
-Shoes: Saucony Kinvara-excellent shoes
-Weather: Sun, 20 degrees celsius, strong breeze, low humidity in the air

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/48666199

Blindern course: Treshold-session

Operahouse, Oslo

I've been subjected to a virus-infection a few days. Sensing that it was fading away I went out for a treshold-session tonight. I was still a bit affected by the infection though. However, eager to get back in to running againg after four days I headed out for this weeks muscular endurance workout. My intention was to test what speed I could achieve while running just below or at treshold pace. I don't use a heart rate monitor anymore, and I guess I never will, but I know my body well enough to know how it feels at different efforts. Initially my legs felt fresh. I did the warm-up 30s faster than the previous ones. Beyond that my quality session started and I had decided to run approximately 10 km to se if I had made some progress since the spring. Establishing at a speed of 5 I could clearly feel that this was just below treshold. I had a good feeling and managed to keep a good technique. Before long I passed the 10km mark at 49m 37s(not monitored). That's 17s down compared to Sentrumsløpet this spring. At that time I was free of illness and had a bigger effort to produce the result. Anyway, I logged 4:59 on the session and I'm satisfied with that. In the weeks to come I'm doing the same session once a week. Next week the session will be a 10km race-Lørenskogløpet on Sunday the 12th of Sep.
I clearly feel that I'm in a good position now to further improve on my form as time is closing up to Berlin Marathon in just over three weeks. At that time I'm targeting at 5 as an average pace for the marathon.

Tecnicals:
-Distance: 12,29 km
-Time: 1h 03m 20s
-Average pace: 5:09 min/km
-Moving pace: 4:59 min/km
-Elevation gained: 106 m(8,62 m/km)-below 10, that's acceptable in this period.
-Calories: 876 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.
-Shoes: Mizuno Wave Aero 8
-Weather: Clouded, 13 degrees celsius, breeze, low humidity in the air, chilly-I need to dress up a bit next time.

The GARMIN logfile can be found at: 
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/47397937

Helsfyr course-counterclockwise: Treshold session

Copenhagen Marathon-2010

Eager to know if my day off had paid off I set out to check out my condition. A short session at treshold pace-below 5 is a good test. I went about it and had a good experience. I may have pushed to hard, but what the heck-I only live once. I can clearly feel the release from not using a heart-rate watch. I only use my body and mind to determine what's the right pace for every session. It works fine with me-better than with a heart rate monitor. The workout went fine. I'm ready for the race tomorrow.

Technicals:
-Distance: 5,57 km
-Time:      29m 11s
-Average pace: 5:14 min/km
-Working pace: 4:53 min/km
-Elevation gained: 52 m(9,34 m/km)
-Calories: 397 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.
-Shoes: Mizuno Wave Aero 8
-Weather: Ligth rain, 16 degrees celsius, windy, high humidity in the air

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/45352079

Ulven course: Treshold session

A good day running. My aim was to run sub 5 for a period of around 20 minutes and that I managed. A bit rainy earlier today, but weather was good when I ran in the evening. A great deal of humidity in the air. Didn't take long before the sweat bursted out. I can feel very clearly that my average speed is increasing. That's a good feeling. In the weeks to come it's important to establish a higher working pace on longer runs. My aim is 5. It's a tough standard, but what the heck, I need some hairy targets. Running at 5 I'm able to run a marathon at 3:30h. That's my main target this year. In Stavanger in two weeks I'll target for sub 3:45. In Berlin a month later my aim is 3:30h.

Thuringen Ultra, 2010

Technicals:
-Distance: 5,49 km
-Time:      27m 49s
-Average pace: 5:03 min/km
-Working pace: 4:48 min/km
-Elevation gained: 50 m(9,11 m/km)
-Calories: 390 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.
-Shoes: Mizuno Wave Aero 8
-Weather: Sunny, 23 degrees celsius, breeze, high humidity in the air

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/44361108

Fast, short run

My third run this week. I headed out for at session at treshold pace. I don't use a heart rate monitor anymore so I quite simply use my feeling to assess what the speed is going to be. I think it's a better approach. I listen to my body. If it's up to it I push as planned. If not, I don't.
Well then, it was up to it. I covered just under 10 km in just under 52 minutes. The course was levelled. I had a good run, but I tend to push to fast too early. Running a 10k-race you don't have time to start a bit slow and gradually work up towards the running pace, but I can do it in a training run. Next time I will. If it had been a race I'd done a warm up and tapered in advance. The time is good to be a training run. I'm satisfied.

Technicals:
-Distance: 9,93 km
-Time:  51m 46s
-Average speed: 5,21 min/km
-Elevation gained: 84 m
-Calories:  705 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42431144

A good run!

What a wonderful evening it was tonight. Warm, ligth breeze and some clouds. Heading out in the evening for a short, long run in partly in the woods and on a quiet road outside of town is magic. It feels good just to be present, feel the body functioning well and be able to push ahead. The course is one of my favourites. Starting from home, towards Kjelsås, around the lake Maridalsvannet and back home again. I did a combination exercise. One part was pure endurance, the other part was muscular endurance. I used my competition shoes-Mizuno Wave Ronin. I can clearly feel the difference when it comes to running technique. I'm landing on the ground far more evenly and much more on my forefoot than with my other shoes(Puma C and Montrail Masochist). I didn't feel any pain in my knee's. It seems like my strategy is paying off well so far. I went for 6min/km(9min/mile) on the first 11 km-pure endurance. After that I had around 8-9 km at treshold pace, that is 5 min/km(8 min/miles).
It turned out good. I was able to maintain the speed and had a good running experience. When changing into a higher speed I feel that this need to be done gradually. If it is my body responds good. From there on I need to get the head along. That's the challenging part.
Anyway, next run is a race on Saturday-Rallarveløpet. An ultrarun-54+27 km, distributed on two days. A great ascend the first day and pretty much downwards the other day. I'm looking forward to a good, long run in a beautiful scenery.

Technicals:
-Distance: 21,16 km(13,15 miles)
-Time: 2h 0m 29s
-Average speed: 5,69 min/km(9,16 min/mile)
-Elevation gained: 248,1 m(814 ft)
-Calories:  1.493 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41297084

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

Running-tonights workout

Back on track again, running. My first running session since Copenhagen Marathon last Sunday. I'm almost recovered. I think I'm right were ought to be after this weekend. That's necessary in order to be ready for the next period I'm entering-the period of competition. It's two weeks left till the first competition. The pace was good on tonights session. I had just over 5 in zone 4. That's good.