#9 – 50 runs in 100 days – Winter edition

Sunday last week when I checked the trains to Tjörnarp I realized that, due to train rails work, the first bus (was replacing the trains) was going to come to Tjörnarp at 8.07 am and the race would start at 8.30 but then there was a saviour, Maria, who was in the same car as me to Dödens Zon Nov 5th, who would drive and asked if I wanted a ride. And of course I wanted to have a ride.

So I woke up 5 am to eat breakfast, fix the last things and then Maria would pick me up at 7 am and then we were picking up Fredrik, who I ran with at Kullen before Dödens Zon in November.

Friday evening it started to rain and it rained during the night. I really hoped it would stop before the race. The goal to finish with 7h could be a problem but I would do my best.

We got to the school and changed and had a chance to talk to some other runners, Malin showed up, she and I ran on the 6h treadmill battle, and we talked with her.

From the beginning I had compression tights, long sleeve, fleece and windstopper, gloves and hat.

Time to walk to the start where we were going to fetch our GPS tracker (read more about it at Live tracker)

I had heard that around 152 runners would run Tjörnarparen – 50K or 100K

The raining stopped, thank gosh. I do not like to run in the rain for a whole day and get smakintryck wet.

In the beginning it was a bit cloggy and some places and when I tried to get my windstopper off (had problems with my breating) one of my salomon soft flasks fell to the ground so I decided to stop and get off the windstopper, then I got some space, which I like.

When I got to the loop I had caught up with a girl who I passed and noticed that Lars had changed part of the loop, now we didn’t run up in the forest but stayed down on the right side and when I got out from the loop I saw this magnificent view

At around 9K it was very wet but I managed to not get any wet feet and then at 11K I got to the first fuel station where I got a hug from Petra.

Continued my running. When I got to Frostavallen there were some dog walkers and two guys who were fishing.

I also fell flat faced on the ground.

At around 22K is the second fuel station where you can eat cheese and coffee but even if I love cheese I do not date eating it to avoid getting an upset stomach and just passed the fuel station, took a walk and ran and then I turn to the right on a dirt roads with smaller stones, there are some uphill parts where I walked. Started to get tired legs. It was very gooey, slippery and wet part of the route.

When I got on the blue marker and you get down to Dagtorpssjön the blue marker has followed the lake on the right but then last year when it rained most of the Fall they redirected the blue marker (was black earlier) I couldn’t see any yellow stripes and took the route to the right but when I have been running for a while, other runners showed up at the left.

Then I heard a runner behind me who turned out to be Maria (who drove the car), she had been out on a longer detour, she was a head of me, we talked for a while but then I had to start walking again and she continued running.

After a while we turn to the right, walk over a fence and then there is a longer footbridge that might be very slippery, it was just fine this time but another interesting person was in front of me, since last year a guy is running this race barefoot in sandals. I finally got up to him and passed him close to the third fuel station where 3 of the Hektor family was and we talked and I ate salt cucumber for the first time (turned out to be a big mistake later). Here last year I was on my way to throw in the towel but Ola Örnberg lended his knee pad to me but threw in the towel 3K later.

This time I continued and finally got to the toughest hill on this race, Djuralidsbacken, very steep and wet, you have to walk sideways part of the hill and then you have another steep shorter hill close after that but the worst is over.

It got a bit more windier so I put the windstopper back on

15K left. First I had very tired calves and then some pain in the right knee that disappeared and then I got issues with my left knee that forced me to walk from time to time. I could still walk and didn’t have any severe knee pain during my walks. Maria showed up again behind me, had another detour. I got to the fourh fuel station and got a hug from Petra again and Conny another runner was there, I asked him about his running, he ran into knee issues last year and take small small steps getting back running longer and longer.

I found out that 3 runners were behind me.

It was a bit groovy passing the 100K ultra runners who had headed out on their second lap. I cheered them on and they pepped me that it was not so far now from the finish line. I was glad that I didn’t run 100K.

When I had 6K left it started to get a bit darker so I put on my headlight and when I got to the tricket (snårskogen) I walked because it is a more technical part where I didn’t want to fall and injure myself. Realized that the batteries was a bit weak so when it was 3K left, I stopped and changed to new batteries. Put the hat back on, which also got off when I got a bit warm on my head. The headlight is sitting better on over a hat then directly on my head. Great to have better light but walked on the more technical parts. Ran on the dirt roads and walked in the forest parts and then I got to the clear-cut and the finish line is getting closer. Now my left knee was bothering me, I could not run on it and decided to rest so I could run on the last part before the finish line. Then it is only 1.5K left, what a great feeling. Saw the finish long sleeve shirt in front of me, did not vare about the gooey parts anymore, didn’t try to avoid them anymore.

And then I saw the train trek, up the stairs and ran to the finish line and over it. Oh my gosh what a relief.

It was tough this year, worse time than the first year but I am really satisfied I didn’t have to throw in the towel. Got my goodie bag and went to the school to change and then head back to get the good ”fika” before it was time to head home

Here are Maria, me and Malin who had fika together, before Maria and I headed home, Malin was staying to wait for Henrik who was running 100K

Distance: 51.37K, time: 8.13.07.7h, average heart rate: 137, average pace: 9.31 min/k, max pace: 5.51 min/k, cadence: 152, V02 Max: 30 ml/kg/min

The trail shoes were a bit dirty after Dödens Zon in November but after this race they looke like this