This morning Wille and I took the train up to our capital city in Sweden, Stockholm.
I had decided that I would run before lunch and dinner and have planned a 5K run.
When I have run in Stockholm earlier it has been early in the morning but now when I ran some errands after lunch there were of course a lot of cars, street lights and I did not feel running on the streets.
Knew that it was a gym at the hotel so I took a look at it before I got back to the hotel room.
Put on my running gear: shorts, t-shirt and headed down in the basement.
Had decided to run 3K and started running, it is so interesting with a treadmill, I do not like to run on a treadmill, but then I have been part of a battle when I ran on one for 6 hours, unbelievable. But it has it pros and cons.
Sweaty because there was no fan, not so good airconditioning in the gym.
And it feels that I am running much faster than the pace, I started with 6 min/k but had to get down to around 6.30 min/k.
When I had reached 3K, I decided I would run one more k and when I had 800 m left I pictured I was near the finish line and at each 100 m I shouted only 800 m left, 700 m, 600 m etc.
Finished with 24 pushups, 3×20 twisted boat with 2.5KG weight.
Right now I have problems logging into Movescount on the web so I will add the pictures later.
After Tuesday’s run I had decided I would run my 10K city run after work.
During work my knee did not complain, just a regular day.
Just before I was going to leave work I remembered the start of the 9.9K run I decided to run Tuesday but ended up being shorter so I had to replan the running during the route to get up to around 9K.
On my way home I was going back and forth which route I would run but finally I had made up my mind and decided to run the route that was I started on Tuesday.
I felt breeze when I biked home, did not feel so warm but when I got home it was warm.
Decided to wear running skirt, linnen, flipbelt and water belt. The water was a life saver during the run.
I decided that my legs would decide the pace tonite 🙂
What a run, compared to Tuesday it felt much better.
After the first hill where part of me wanted to walk up but my stronger me decided that I would run up that hill and I did it but afterwards it felt almost that I was going to get respiratory distress and walked for a short distance.
Ran again, ran up one short part and two medium parts and after the second medium part that road came where it is going up for a longer part, started running on that road but my legs just stopped in the beginning and I walked the rest of the road to get my breath back.
Now it got cooler and got breezier.
I am not sure how long I had been running when I started to feel pain in my right hip and then also right knee. A good rule is to stop and walk til the pain is gone and try again. So a short walk, during the walk I see a horse in front of me going over a bridge, oh no. What I do not want is to get behind a horse and have to pass it, like I have said before I am not afraid of horses but do not want to get kicked by them.
Lucky me when I was ready to start running again the horse had stopped and I started running and decided that I would run the rest of the way home, was approximately 2.5K left.
Cooler and breezier.
Last hill part where I decided that I would run up and not walk and increased the pace at the end.
To sum this route: 3 walks: 2 shorter and 1 longer, walked up one part and ran up the rest. The best was that it felt just like a normal run when it is warm.
But I do not want to jump yet. See if it will continue to feel like a normal run from now on. Than it has taken one month.
The original plan was to run a 10K city run but since it went well around Frostavallen, my first trail run last week I changed my mind and decided to run 3 or 4 laps on St Hans Hills.
Unfortunately while I was working I ran into an issue with my right knee but was still determined to run on St Hans Hills.
When I got home I couldn’t decide, City run? St Hans Hills? City run? St Hans Hills? At the end I decided I would run the city run to not strain my knee but just before I headed out the door I realized I knew a 9.9K city run but more out in the country and decided to run that route instead.
In the beginning I had heavy legs, hard time breathing, it was 23oC (73F) and cloudy. Decided to take out the t-shirt under the flipbelt and now I could breath a bit better 🙂
The flipbelt has its pros and cons.
Ran in the beginning but then I got on a road in a neighborhood where it just went up and my legs did not want to run so I decided to walk all the way til I was on the top, was a bit breathless.
I was hoping that I would be able to run the rest of the way but no such luck. The knee protested plus it was bit warm, almost decided to not bring my water belt but was glad I did because I had to drink and water my head and face a couple of times.
I realized that the route would not be 9K and was thinking how would I get those 9K and realized if I ran back and then turned to the left I would end up on my 5K route but backwards and that would be around 9K
When I ran into pneumonia I googled how to get back after pneumonia and runners said that you would run into set backs, would have some good days and then it would be heavy again and maybe this nite was a set back?
Don’t get me wrong, I was glad that I got out but I did not think it would be this hard, I guess the knee and some heat was part of the problem.
During the run I had a good pace from time to time, I have decided know that I will let the legs decide the pace, they will slow down when they want to and it is very true.
I saw this scenery during the run, it is dandelions which have bloomed over and the wind had spread the white over the ground, looked really interesting.
I hope that the next 10K run will feel much better.
Since some years ago it has become a tradition to run on Ascension Day.
Started to run middle of April and decided that today was the time to do a trai run for the first time after my pneumonia.
One of my favorites trail places is Frostavallen. This week I increased the distance to 10K.
Took the train and bus to Frostavallen and of course I would test my first trail run on the green marker, 10K.
Was a bit nervous, did not know how my lungs would respond after I had walked up Djuralidsbacken (=Djuralids hill), the hill that is the biggest challenge at Tjörnaparen plus the one that comes after.
But I was determined I was going to finish the distance, not cut it.
Had put on t-shirt, shorts, ultra back pack, Altra Lone Peak 3.5, compression socks. But it did not take long til I realized that t-shirt was too warm this day and it just had to get off and once again running around in a sports bra, have gotten used to it.
It was so nice seeing it was so dry, last year it was wet wet wet.
There were two places where it was a bit more difficult to get around, in the beginning of the route a tractor has drive around and left traces, there was some water and then below a tree had been cut so the path had a tree in my direction so I found a detour to get around the tree 🙂
I was wondering if they had rerouted the green marker, all of a sudden I was on a dirt road where I passed some trekkers but could not remember that I have been running here on the green marker.
The first two hills I ran all the way up, the third was too tough but I started running up all hills but if I felt it was too hard I stopped and walked
I did not care about the time today, it would take the time it would take, I would be ok if I couldn’t run up all the way on some hills. This was a test run to see where I am.
Since I did not know how warm it would be, I might have to wet my hair I brought 500 ml water and 500 ml sports drink (Tailwind Tropical Buzz)
Then I got to Djuralidsbacken (Djuralids hill) where I had thought that I would be dead at the top.
To my surprise it felt just like normal. I have run up all the way ONCE in August some years ago. At Tjörnarparen last year they now have a competition who will run up the fastest, I willl never win and will not even try 🙂
After Djuralidsbacken there is another shorter very steep hill and I walk up that one as well. these two were the only two where I did not start running, I am familiar with these, great to have trail shoes with good grip.
First 5K took 50 min so I thought that I would finish in 100 minutes.
To my surprise the whole route took 1:29’43.9. Where I am right now, with the weight and recovering after pneumonia I am so proud of myself that it took less than 90 minutes. It was some walking. And it felt just like normal with some extra weight. It seems to me that I am on my way back. I will definately come back here in a couple of weeks and redo this route. It has all the hills that I need, some hills to work on and also increase the distance later of course.
Yesterday’s run was tough due to the heat, I struggled but did not cut the distance.
On the weather report it looked like today would be as warm but I was determined to run the distance that I had decided. Tonite I increased the distance to 10K.
At work in the afternoon I saw that it looked like it was breezier so I might survive.
I decided to wear my running skirt again, linnen this time, water belt and flipbelt.
Temperature: 24oC (75.2F)
My legs decided the pace from the beginning.
It was much breezier but I still had to wet my hair and drink water during my run.
Major improvement today, I ran the first 4K in a 6.30 min/k pace, longest so far, then came an upwind and I slowed down but continued to have from time to time a 6.30 min/k pace.
After around 6K I was forced to walk due to the heat but decided it would be a short walking distance.
I also had to walk prior to that, not because of the heat but it was difficult to get the mobile back into the flipbelt after I had taken some pictures. The flipbelt is great just as long as you have things in there but do not have to bring things out. The waterbelt is over the flipbelt and the flipbelt is turned with the holes towards my body.
There were a couple of more times that I had to walk, some issue with my right knee also.
When it was approximately 2K left I decided that now you are running all the way home and I did.
Even if I had this 6.30 min/k pace and I was breathless, it felt more like the breathless I feel if I am heavier and not due to the breathlessness that I felt in the beginning.it
This was my fastest run so far 🙂
I really hope it will soon feel more normal.
Tomorrow I will test myself on the trails again. I want to know where I stand, I will get myself to one of my favorite trail places and try the green marker. There are two really tough hills but I am looking forward to it a lot.
When I biked home from work I realized it was very warm.
No way I would wear long sleeve wool, windstopper and long tights.
Tonite it would be premiere for shorts and t-shirt but when I got home I changed my mind and decided to put on my running skirt. Also premiere for my flipbelt and water belt.
To try to avoid another knee issue I put liniment on my right knee
Temperature: 24oC (75.2F)
Decided that the legs would decide the pace the first 1K but it was tough getting them to slow down not until on the bog they slowed down due to the heat.
From time to time the pace increased but I was not too breathless
Water belt is a tip when it is warm and you do city runs, you can drink and also wet your hair and face. It helped for a while but then it was warm again
I was forced to walk from time to time due to the heat.
But since I did not have any knee issue I wouldn’t cut the distance, I am not a person who give up. I need to loose weight and get fit again and not head out because it was warm was not an option.
Same thing with the gym, need to get the strength back and just because it is tough right now I won’t give up there either, it won’t make me stronger.
There were some other runners that seemed to struggle with the heat.
Once again my legs started to run faster and faster at the end
Even if it was warm tonite I was glad I ran, not too bad, 4 minutes slower than last time due to heat is just fine.
This was my last 8K run, tomorrow I will increase the distance once again.
The original plan was to run the same 8K run that I have run lately.
Decided to do the grocery shopping after work and then run.
I decided to do a test.
On the first §K I let my legs decide what pace just as long as it was around 6 min/k, they tried to increase the pace to 6 min/k but felt it definately in my lungs and had to calm down.
Switched my route a bit and started with the end first and then the bog.
For some reason I decided to do a detour and got to the bog another way and when I got to the bog I ran into a knee issue that I thought would go away so after the fast pace, slow pace and then fast pace again the first knee issue appeared so I had to stop and walk for a short distance and then I started running again, ran into the same knee issue again, most of the time it is my right knee which it was tonite.
Decided to cut the distance, my lungs were just fine, the knee made this decision. I am not sure if the knee got stressed because I increased the running time to 3 and also increased the distance to 3 times.
I probably walked 3-4 times.
Still it was nice being running again and I will keep going.
Surprised that I got down to my hairdresser in such short time. Tood another tour due to all the construction in my hometown.
Some people have decided to get us a tram, unbelievable and then district heating. Depending where you want to head you have to think twice,
After the haircut I went to the gym.
Tonite I increased the weight on my calves 🙂
Still struggling with tricepts, chinups.
I felt tiredness in my back when I started my session with hip exercises, core and calves (funtional training) but hope that my back will get stronger which it will.
Added some more core exercises, I seem to have core muscles afterwards, someone told me that if you have good core muscles and do a lot of core you will feel sore the day after, that happened last week.
During my hip exercises I got tired in my hip muscles and stretched with the dove stretching exercise for the first time.
I just have to keep going to get my strength back.
Monday I was suppose to run a 8K route around the bog but had to do a detour near my home to get up to 8K.
Afterwards I compared the route that I ran Monday with the 8K route and saw what went wrong 🙂
So today I would run this 8K route around the bog.
Temperature: 14oC (57F)
Still do not want to run in shorts and t-shirt. I do not want to catch another cold for a while.
Same thing as Monday, faster legs but have to have a slower pace if I want to be able to run the whole route without walking due to stressed lungs.
Interesting thing is that when you try to get the pace to be slower you end up getting a too slow pace so I had to fight to get to around 7.15 min/k pace.
But during the run I got a faster pace than 7 min/k and feel it in my lungs, 6.35 min/k which is a slow pace for me normally is not an option right now.
So much nice to run today, no wind, sun and blue sky.
Passed some other runners, have not seen so many yet when I have been out running.
When I got back to the bike path I let my legs decide what pace they wanted to have and did not look at the watch what pace I had til the very end when my legs wanted to run faster and faster. That is just fine if I have around 1K left of the route.
Ran the whole route once again which feels great and a bit faster today 🙂
I have forgotten to stretch afterwards but started today and also foamrolled my hips. They definately need to be more foamrolled. It felt.
