Decided to have the warmup on the treadmill. Stretched first and then started the treadmill.
Started with the pace 5.49 min/k and increased the speed every 500 m til I got up to 1K, then I increased the pace after 250 m and then after 250 m again and ran the last 500 m with a pace of 5 min/k. It is my hope that I will be a bit faster this year. It has started to be a you running under 6 min/k.
During cool down I gradually reduced the pace.
Distance: 1.81 miles (2.92K), time: 19.19 min,
average pace: 6.36 min/k, max pace; 4.39 min/k, VO2 Max: 26 ml/kg/min
I am not a treadmill lover but sometimes the treadmill is a life saver, like today when the weather is rainy, windy, cold and grey. I do not like to run in the rain.
So I have a pulse watch which warns me about storms and it made noise this morning and when I biked to the gym I had some heavy upwind part of the way so the watch was right 🙂
I was suppose to have hilly running this morning with a CKR friend but she ran into a cold last night so it was cancelled. Plan A was not to run on the treadmill then but since I have set a goal now to hit at least 10000 kcal before March 1 (participating in ”Kalorijakten”) I decided I would run on the treadmill also and when the hilly running was cancelled I decided I would do interval training on the treamill instead of only running 2-3K.
Last week I did Krutgubbens (The powder man’s intervals) intervals, since it was the first time and I did not know how I would respond to this type of interval training my fastest pace was 5 min/k but felt that I probabaly could run faster than that I modified my interval paces to the following:
I have noticed that at 5.10 I start to feel a bit more breathless and have to fight with myself, not that I am going to quit or anything but it is getting down to the area where I am not really at. At 5.00 it was even tougher and today I would go beyond 5 min/k and I was a bit scared even if it would be for only 2 minutes and 1 minute but 2 minutes is quite long but I did it. It was such a joy to do the last 2 intervals even if I had to pep myself that it is not long time left til you will have 1 min rest. That minute rest is a relief for a short moment 🙂
I am going to stay with these intervals for a while now. It feels good to have a security string that I use to be on the safe side.
So distance: 5.18 miles (8.34K), time: 50.03.30 min,
average pace: 6 min/k, max pace: 3.53 min/k, VO2 Max: 31 ml/kg/min
After that it was biceps, triceps, legs and ended with core: circles, side plank and then 5 min and 15 s regular plank 🙂
Today was suppose to be a rest day but when the sun came out I couldn’t help myself. Earlier the week had been grey and rainy mostly.
First I had to see the cross country sprint skiing final for the ladies and then go out for a run to get back to normal. It was so nerve wracking but finally we got a silver 🙂
It was such a joy to go out for a run today because I had really fast legs, a couple of weeks ago I was disappointed of my slow pace and now it was a total another person who was running.
Part of the run was hilly and there was some upwind from time to time but most of the time I was under 6 min/k 🙂 I would like to be a bit less breathless.
My right M. Gluteus Maximus did not bother me and yesterday after those hilly intervals it was not as bad as it has been earlier after a run.
I have been a 6 min/k pace runner earlier but am aiming at getting under 6 min/k and hopefully it has started to go in the right direction.
Distance: 3.27 miles (5.26K). time: 29.11 min,
average pace: 5.33 min /k, max pace: 4.16 min/k, VO2 Max: 30 l/kg/min 🙂
This morning it was time for hilly intervals with Coach K Runners. Before I woke up I heard the rain 🙂
After breakfast I saw that the rain had not stopped and was hoping that it would end before those hilly intervals. I do not like to run in the rain 🙂
I got ready to run up to St Hans hills. We were suppose to be 18 people and 7 dropped out because of the bad weather.
We started with warm up and ran to the long hill to get ready for the first interval. I always run fast in the beginning but slower at the end. It would be nice one day to be able to keep the speed.
And then we had an interval where we started at top of the top hill, ran down to the middle hill and when the first person touched the dirt road behind the middle hill, we were turning around and ran up to the top hill again. Of course Jimmy ”the gazelle” was the fastest down the hill. I do not understand where he gets his energy from. We did this interval a couple of times.
Then we did a new type of interval where we started from the top of the top hill, ran down the downhill hill, back up the downhill hill and up to the top hill again. This time I was coming down the downhill almost first but Jimmy ”the Gazelle” passed me at the end 🙂 then it goes slower up and the hills again where I was passed by the fastests hilly runners. We were told that if we want we are going to take the time and then later this spring time us again to see if there is any improvements. I need to remember to bring my stopwatch with me next time.
After that we did intervals on the ”circle hill” where we run down in the middle, turned right and ran up the steeper right side, down in the middle, turned to the left and ran up the steeper left part and did this til Mats felt it was enough, it was 4 or 5 times.
And then finally it was time for Mats’s brutal variant of the longest hill. I am running a hilly race called St Hans Extreme, last year they had to make some adjustments tothe routebecause themunicipality was performingdrainage work onthe slopes so at the amphitheater which had been my worst hill was changed and became much more brutal. So you run up that part, down to a flatter part and then up the top hill. I just made up my mind that I am going to it all which I did and was one of the first people up that hill.
Last it was the same interval when we ran down the top hill to the start of the middle hill and when the first person got to the dirt road we turned back and run to the top hill again.
It was wet, gooey and rainy today but a very good workout 🙂
Total distance: 6.04 miles (9.73K), time: 1.13 h
Average speed (to St Hans Hills): 6.40 min/k, max speed (to St Hans Hills): 6.10 min/k
Average speed (hilly intervals): 9.36 min/k, max speed (hilly intervals): 3.28 min/k, VO2 Max: 31 ml/kg/min
Average speed (to Eva): 8.59 min/k (stopped to compare the bottom of our trail shoes), max speed (to Eva): 5.57 min/k
Average speed (from Eva back home): 5.54 min/k 🙂 , max speed (from Eva back home): 5.53 min/k 🙂
Thanks Eva and Niklas for the good fika after those hilly intervals. I did not want to to get their home dirty so I took off my socks. It was very nice afterwards to put those wet socks on again to run back home. I do not know where I got my energy from, a fast run back to my home.
I read a article yesterday about running on treadmills versus trail running. I am not a treadmill lover, I prefer to run outside and right now I enjoy trail running the most. I agree with the following below about running on a treadmill.
It is terriblymonotonous
I never get to a cozy picnic spot
The viewis the sameall the time
But doing intervals on a treadmill works for me when I do them alone. I can set a pace and keep it instead of max the pace and fall ”fall dead” at the end of the intervals when running outside.
So as warmup before I lifted weights at the gym I did ”Krutgubbens” intervals (=powder man)
Started with 14 min warmup around 10 (6 min/k) pace and then it was time for the interval part
6 min 5.49 min/k (10.3)
1 min rest 6 min/k (10)
5 min 5.39 min/k (10.6)
1 min rest 6 min/k (10)
4 min 5.30 min/k (10.9)
1 min rest 6 min/k (10)
3 min 5.18 min/k (11.3)
1 min rest 6 min/k (10)
2 min 5.10 min/k (11.6)
1 min rest 6 min/k (10)
1 min 5 min/k (12)
1 min rest 6 min/k (10)
Then 9 minutes cool down where I did a gradual reduction in pace.
I was so lucky that I chose the right treadmill this time. Last time I did intervals at the gym I had first forgotten to stretch so I had to have a break after 2 sets and then the treadmill decided to stop from time to time, really annoying.
This time I had chosen the treadmill that shows time remaining or time elapsed and when I was getting closer to 5 min/k I realized I even had a security string that could be used 🙂
Next time I have decided that I am going to go under 5 min/k
Distance: 5.17 miles (8.33K), total time: 52.10 min,
average pace: 6.15 min/k, max speed: 4.24 min/k, VO2 Max: 29 ml/kg/min
After that I did back, shoulders, legs and ended with core: obliquecrunches, the World and the regular plank, in between the boat pumping both legs 20 times
Lately I have been disappointed at me for being much slower than usual and the last straw was Fulltofta this weekend. This cannot continue since I plan to improve on my ultra races I will run this year.
So this afternoon I decided I would try to max my pace, it is so interesting how different mindsets can change you. I have said it before, you just have to decide that today I am going to run faster and than it will happen.
So I had a pace under 6 min/k from the very beginning 🙂 it felt great. From time to time I was over 6 min/k, there were some hillier parts where the pace decreased but on the flat parts I got a much faster pace. I was hoping that my right M. Glutues Maximus wouldn’t bother me so I would be forced to stop and walk but that did not happen. At 10K my time was 1.01 h, that felt really great 🙂 I was hoping my total time would be under 1.18 h.
The temperature was around 3oC (37F) but icy cold because of the wind.
So distance: 7.74 miles (12.46K), total time: 1.15.43 h 🙂
Average pace: 6.04 min/k, max pace: 4.56 min/k, VO2 Max: 25 ml/kg/min
So I cannot be more than really satisfied with myself today.
Tonite it was time to get to the gym again. It was freezing cold when I biked to the fitness center but that is not going to stop me from exercising. It also was windy and some upwind which did not make it any better with a 3 gear bike 🙂
It was crowded at the treadmills so by the time I was going to choose one it was full, lucky me a guy just finished and stepped off one 🙂
I decided to do what I have done lately, start with the speed 10 (6 min/k) and increase the speed every 500m. I forgot once again to stretch but hope I would be fine anyway, have some issues with my right M. Gluteus Maximus.
So I started to run and after 500m I increased the speed to 10.5 (5.42 min/k) and then after 500 m I increased the speed to 11(5.27 min/k) and then I decided to increase the speed to 12 (5 min/k) after 500m. Then I had a longer cool down where I decrease the speed every minute til I was back to walking and then I decreased the speed every 15s.
After that it was time to go the gym and exercise triceps, getting used to the new machine and increased it to 34.5 instead of 32.5 this week and biceps 8 kg and then a hip stability exercise and then other leg exercises. Ended with core: circles 3×153 side plank, 3 slowly low boat, 5 min and 10 s plank. In between the boat pumping 20 times.
Now I am feeling in my triceps that I increased the weight 🙂
On the treadmill: 1.86 miles (3K), total time: 18.55 min
average pace: 6.18 min/k, max pace: 4.46 min/k VO2 Max: 27 ml/kg/min
This morning I got up at 6 am to get ready for a trail run at Fulltofta. Since no one from my hometown wasn’t going to participate I took the train to Höörs train station and Åke was nice and picked me up there.
We were not a lot of people today, only 5 and I wanted to run the route I ran with Åke and Robert in September. The rest of the group decided to join me and I thought that I could follow this route but I realized that something was not right. Maybe it was due to that the route got saved with the route before in Lund and didn’t understand that I was at Fulltofta. Lucky me Camilla and Åke knew the area.
Two weeks ago we ran in snow and today there were hardly any snow but some ice parts and not so gooey.
Discussions that we had today was Camilla’s preparation for Kalmar Ironman, a race that I want to do one day, Sövde sprint, fuel when running longer distances and loose dogs and our experiences with those.
The trail was mixed terrain, I had repressed the run but parts of the run was familiar so some steep hills and a steep downhill. I did not walk on any of them 🙂
I just love to run in the woods and now when it was more green parts of the run was breathtaking.
Distance: 10.34 miles (16.65K), total time: 2.04.45 h,
average pace: 7.29 min/k, max pace: 5.38 min/k, VO2 Max: 25 ml/kg/min
Total distance so far: 145.78 miles (234.71K)
Tonite it was again for a Glädjepass (=Fun Run) with Coach K Runners
Glädjepass is a run where you are focusing on the enjoyment in running and look less at the watch. The run will be 5k and the tempo will be around 6 min/k
We also had a dog who joined our run and she was doing a good job of shipherding us.
Even if the temperaure was around 3oC (37F) it was windless which was very nice for a change.
Today Karin the leader took us around Stångby, it was nice being back in that area. I used to take the train from Stångby train station a long time ago and have trekking with backpack to get ready for Grand Canyon in that area. We were running mainly on not too crowded bike paths.
Distance: 6.47 miles (10.42K), total time: 1.07.57 h, average pace: 6.31 min/k, max pace: 5.33 min/k, VO2 Max: 21 ml/kg/min.
Tonite it was time to get to the gym and start with warmup at the treadmill. A couple of weeks ago when I started my hilly running again I ran into issues with M. Gluteus Maximus that still bother me. So I started with the pace 6 min/k (10) and then increased the pace every 500 m: 5.42 min/k (10.5), 5.27 min/k (11), 5.13 min/k (11.5).
Total distance: 1.24 miles (2.34K), total time: 14.19 min,
average pace: 6.07 min/k, max pace: 4.46 min/k, VO2 Max: 27 ml/kg/min.
After that it was time to lift weights. I have had a red Cybex machine doing triceps and back before and last week I realized that they had changed it to a grey/black Cybex that did not work the same way. I had the weight 13. Last week I almost hurt my back trying to figure out how this machine was working. It was no bottom and very scary. So today I asked one instructor to help me and I tried the weight 32. I am going to see how my triceps are tomorrow.
Then I also exercised my biceps and legs and ended with core doing circles, side plank, the world and 5 min and 5 s regular plank. In between the boat. I also did a variant of the plank on a pilates ball where I pulled my legs towards my stomach.
