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: 36/10

Sunset in Oslo

Finally, the end of the tapering period has arrived. The next week I'm entering the competition period with a race 18th of Sep and 26th of Sep. The former being an ultrarun(UltraBirken) and the latter Berlin Marathon.
Volume is down considerably. I'm also down on verticals. I had three sessions of running this week. Two endurance sessions and a treshold session. I'm certainly noticing that my legs and body are benefitting from tapering. Speed is up and my feet are fresher. I've had some light outburst of "Runners butt"-especially on my left side. That seems to fade as volume and number of sessions is down. I've also done stretching and used ice on a regular basis. My level of race readiness "Form" is increasing rapidly. Only uncertainty is the discomfort I've experienced in my butt. However, I'm pretty optimistic when it comes to the following races.
The most demanding part is to stick to my programme. It's very tempting to just go for a run when I feel this form, but I have to be disiplined.


Technicals: 

1. Total amount of training since 1th of January: 
222,1h/ 7,2h pr week(Running: 172,5h/1.627 km) 
Verticals: Not monitored before 6th of June 

2. Total amount of training since 12th of July: 
71h /7,9h pr week (Running: 64,2h/ 608,2 km) 
Verticals: 8.916 m( Running: 8.279 m) 

3. Total amount of training this week:
3h 10m(Running: 3h 10m/37,15 km)
Verticals: 292 m(Running: 292 m) 

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

5. Shoes:
-Mizuno Wave Ronin(innkjøpt 8.4.10)     : 501 km (from the time of buying)
-Puma Concinnity(innkjøpt 30.4.10)        : 220 km (from the time of buying)
-Montrail Masochist(innkjøpt 14.5.10)     : 395 km (from the time of buying)
-Mizuno Wave Aero 8(innkjøpt 28.7.10) : 146 km (from the time of buying)
-Saucony Kinvara(innkjøpt 9.9.10)          : 14 km (from the time of buying)

UltraBirken-2010: Preparations

Gjerdingen, Nordmarka

First upcoming event is an ultrarace on trail-UltraBirken. It's due next Saturday.
Distance is 73 km and most of it is on trail. Start from Rena(7 a.m.) and finish in Lillehammer.
My target with this race is to finish faster than 10h. In order to do that I need to have an average pace of 8 min/km. That's within my reach.
The course is divided in the following parts:

1. Rena-Skramstadsætra(D)         : 15 km, on gravel roads
2. Skramstadsætra-Åkersætra(D) : 17,5 km(32,5 km from start), trail and mountain running
3. Åkersætra-Sjusjøen(D)            : 17,5 km(50 km from start), very technical trail on marshland
4. Sjusjøen-Finnsveen                  : 14 km   (64 km from start), gravel roads and light trail
5. Finnsveen-Lillehammer             : 9 km     (73 km from start), gravel roads and light trail
D: Drop-point

Theoretical I have the opportunity to supply myself at three aid-stations(2, 3 and 4)
The first part of the race is easy to decide on when it comes to shoes. I'll use some light-weight shoes.
From point 4 to the finish line I'll use trail-shoes. That goes for the part between part 2 and 4 as well.
I'm bringing three pair of shoes.
1) Mizuno Wave Ronin for use from the start till Skramstadsætra(15 km).
2) Puma Trailfox for use between Skramstadsætra and Sjusjøen(35 km)
3) Montrail Masochist for use between Sjusjøen and the finish line.(23 km)

Strategy:
-Goal, overall: finish on 9h 45m (average pace of 8,0 min/km / 7,5 km/h)

.1 Rena-Skramstadsætra        : time spent is 1,5h
(average pace of 6 min/km), add 5 min for shoe-change

.2 Skramstadsætra-Åkersætra: time spent is 2,5h
(average pace of 8,5 min/km), add 10 min for refuelling

.3 Åkersætra-Sjusjøen            : time spent is 2,5h
(average pave is 8,5 min/km), add 15 min for shoe and  refuelling.

.4 Sjusjøen-Lillehammer         : time spent is 2,5h
(average pace is 6,5 min/km), add 15 min for refuelling along the course.

Total time spent                      : 9h + 45min = 9h 45m
( average pace overall is 8,0 min/km)

Time, passing(out):
1. Rena, start           : kl 0700
2. Skramstadsætra  : kl 0835
3. Åkersætra           : kl 1115
4. Sjusjøen              : kl 1400
5. Lillehammer        : kl  1645

Equipment:
1. Shoes:
.1 Mizuno Wave Ronin
.2 Montrail Masochist
.3 Puma Trailfox

2. Clothing:
.1 Thights: long(1), Gore Mythos/ medium length(GORE)
.2 Jersey: long sleeves-Merino Wool(1), t-shirt(1)
.3 Socks: 4 pairs-Gore
.4 Underwear: 2 changes
.5 Jacket: windproof(1)-Gore
.6 Gloves: 1 pair-Gore
.7 Headwear: 1-Gore

3. Food:
.1 Energy-drink: 150 g
.2 Coke: 0,5 l
.3 Potato-chips: 50g
.4 Chocolate: 95 g
.5 Electrolytes: 40 g

4. Supplementary:
.1 Vaseline
.2 Sports-tape
.3 Multi-tool
.4 Compass
.5 Map: Turkart-"Birkebeineren"
.6 Toilette paper
.7 Soap, small
.8 Digital camera
.9 GPS-watch
.10 Wrist-watch
.11 Running-sack(10l)
.12 Drinking-belt, Perfekta(8 bottles of 0,15l)

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

Saucony Kinvara: new shoe

Saucony Kinvara, 208 g

I have several pairs of shoes. One pair for competition and speed-work, another for endurance-sessions and a pair for trail-runs. I've been using Mizuno Wave Ronin now since 8th of April this year, logged just over 500 km of running with those shoes. Lately I've noticed that the shoes doesn't provide anymore that just a slight response when hitting the surface. I guess it's time to grant retirement for use in the gym, season starting next quarter.
It's always nice to go hunting for a pair of new shoes. Allthough I think it's wise to stick to what works I'm always eager to try on something new. Saucony just brought a new model out for sale and I thought I'll try it on. It's an interesting shoe because it allows the pressure when hitting the ground to be more distributed on the middle- and front of the foot. Oh, and it's definately a shoe to compete with. Not much stability, provides a good felling when running and demands a skilled runner. By testing out I discovered that my running pattern tends to stay pretty close to that experienced when using Ronin. Overall, I had a good impression and bought a pair. First major test is a 10 km race on Sunday this weekend. I've had a good tapering period so far, and my aim is to finish with a new personal best on the distance.
Some has allready bought and had some testing done:
http://www.dailymile.com/blog/team/running-shoe-review-saucony-kinvara-vs-newton-gravitas

Movatn-Kjelsås course: endurance session

Maridalsvannet

It's pretty hard not to run these days, but tonight I was allowed to do so again, according to my training programme. I'm pleased to notice then that I'm getting fresher as time passes. I had a good session with an average pace in the working session of just below 5-without putting to much effort in to it. That's good news. The flip side of the coin is that I noticed some muscle tigthning in my butt-especially the left side. I'll have to continue my stretching exercises. If needed I'll have some more sports massage. 2/3 of the course is on gravel roads and some of it with demanding surface. I'm satisfied with the progress in my tapering period. Next session now is a 10 km race on Sunday.

Tecnicals:
-Distance: 15,13 km
-Time: 1h 15m 38s
-Average pace: 4:59 min/km
-Working pace: 4:55 min/km, 13,46 km
-Elevation gained: 90 m(5,9 m/km)-below 10,ok.
-Calories: 1.078 kcal
-Average heart rate(max): Not monitored.
-Shoes: Mizuno Wave Aero 8
-Weather: Clouded, 16 degrees celsius, breeze, low humidity in the air

The GARMIN logfile can be found at:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/48273583