Tonite I wanted to challenge myself. I have had a great season as far as training, no injuries and have basically been running long distance running every week after I had participated in Triathlon Sprint in June. End of September I will run Lidingöloppet which is a 30k cross country race. It will be my fifth time and this year I am aiming at PB. So why not bring Lidingöloppet to St Hans. During my 28.5k race I did a couple of weeks ago I decided I would run 10 laps which would be a total of 25k and then running from my home and back would be a total of 30k. The challenge would be to run all those 10 laps. I have so far run 5 laps (3 laps, 8k flat run and then 2 laps again.

On my third lap it looked like it might start raining 🙂

Lap 1 to 4 I had fast legs and my legs were just fine and during the fourth lap it started to rain :-), lucky me it did not last very long and it did not bother me much.

The fifth lap was also feeling just fine, there were some other runners out there and some freesbee golfers showed up so I was using the word ”FORE” a couple of times to let them know I am around, do not want to get hit by a freesbee in my head.

So now I am on my sixth lap and now I feeling I am getting tired in my calves. I am using compression socks

On my seventh lap my I feel some ache in my right knee so I guess the really challenge has just started. It is going to be interesting what will happen on lap 8-10, only three more laps to go 🙂

On my eigth lap my hips start to ache, Gabby be strong, only two more laps and then it is time to run back home.

On my ninth lap I am getting very tired in my calves and the pace is going down and I also get tired in my feet and on my up on the last hill up on the amphi theater I almost fall, I think it is a sign that I AM TIRED

On my tenth lap I am aching all over and I am really tired in my calves, feet, right knee aching a bit and I am feeling tired in my hips as well and it is not going very fast but this is the last lap 🙂

I am heading home and oh boy I have never been feeling this way on my way home from any Coach K Runners or St Hans hilly training before. It is aching all over the place and it feels like I can get cramp any minute but don’t dare start walking, I am going to make it all the way home.

Finally I am home and I made it, tjohoooooo!!!!!!!!

Total time: 3.30.38 h

Woke up this morning at 7.15 to get ready for a 30k run that I had not run since 2009.

Started with mixing my sport drink, Maxim Tropical flavor.

Temperature showed 15oc (59F) so I decided I would wear t-shirt, shorts and test my compression socks that I plan to wear at Lidingöloppet.

To try to avoid running into any issues with my right knee or left M. Gluteus maximus I warmed those with liniment.

Then it was time to stretch, addded one stretch exercise this morning, not sure if that would make a difference.

Then it was time to get ready, put water in two bottles and sport drink in two bottles and put them in my water belt.

It would be interesting to see if the battery would die again. I changed it after the last long run.

At ICA I saw the other group who were going to do a combination session, biking to Skrylle, run 10k and biking back to Lund. I waved at them before I started my run.

It was a bit colder that I wanted but hoped for warmer temperature later on.

At 2.78k my battery died and the pace showed 00.00 til the end. Lucky me it was not warm today. So drinking every 12 min would probably be fine in the beginning.

When I was in the outskirts of Lund and looked over to Lomma there were some dark clouds, lucky me they disappeared but I got some rain between Lund and Lomma. Interesting on every warmer run that I have done this summer I have hoped for rain but there had not been any such luck but today when it is 15oC (59F) it was raining 🙂

When I got to Bjärred it got warmer and I also passed the ocean and dreamed of my house at the sea. I am allowed to have dreams.

I felt some ache in my right knee and hoped it wouldn’t get worse. I had not plan to walk today. This was my fourth ”at least 25k” run without any issues, that have been my goal to do at least before Lidingöloppet in September.

It did not feel like it was 5 years ago since I ran this run last, it felt that I had run this after 2009 but then I realized that I biked this way home from Bjärred this summer after a meeting 🙂

It was nice to see the sign that it was 10k left to Lund. The energy was dropping a bit so it was time to drink at every k. After Flädie and Fjelie I was running on the bike path that brought me back to Lund. Turned into Gunnesbo and on to Nöbbelövs kyrkoväg which is a nice country road and then I knew that it is not far til I would be home.

Even if I ran before breakfast the total time today was 3.15.36 h, pretty flat run, some upwind and beautiful scenery out in the country. Temperature was 18oC (64F) when I got back home.

Lidingö I am ready for you in September!

Today I woke up 7.15 am to run earlier in the morning to avoid the heat. Last night I put two water bottles in the refrigerator.

It was also time to test the sport drink that is going to be served on Lidingöloppet in September, Pripps Sport Energy.

Before I started the run I did my mandatory stretching and put liniment on my right knee and left M. Gluteus maximus.

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The temperature was 20oC (68F) which is my ideal temperature and was also met by a nice breeze. At 8.10 am I started with 3 laps on St Hans hills and was basically there by myself. The good thing was that it was dew in the grass so my feet was nice wet. I saw a guy walking. On the third lap St Hans came alive when more runners showed up and one lady was out with her dog. After three laps I ran up the top hill again and then I continued on my 8k run.

After 19.5k I felt the three laps in my calves and part of my brain was on it’s way to give up and wanted to walk the last 2 laps on St Hans hills. Up to this time I have been drinking every other k. I did not look forward to the last 2 laps so it was time to take out ”pannbenen”. (=Grab the bulls by its horns). My energy was going down so it was time to drink every k and only sport drink so I could wet my hair to stay cool. So I started to run my first lap and survived. Now some freesbee golfers had showed up and I used the word Fore again to let them know that I was going to pass them :-). Now my feet was also tired, I was on ”slippery ice” a couple of times but blocked it to avoid sprain my feet. Now the feet was not nice wet anymore but warmer. So it was just to run the last lap and see if my brain would refuse to run the top hill again but I did not have a problem with that either. A family was walking down that hill and looked at me strangely. After that I just had to run home.

I went directly to the shower with my clothes on to cool me down and after that it was time to make brunch since I did 28.5k before breakfast. Totalt time: 3.30. 27 h which is not a good time but expected when running before breakfast, my body is not fully awake. No walking this time either. What saved me this Saturday was the breeze. 🙂

The sports drink Pripps Sport energy has been served at Lidingöloppet before and I do not have any problem with it but without any breakfast I felt it in my stomach but did not get cramp.

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Woke up this morning around 8 am and started the morning by put a bread dough to ferment for at least 8 hours so I would have enough time to get back from my run before it was time to put the loaves in the oven. After that I put two water bottles in the refrigerator and mixed my sport drink, Maxim Tropical, which was a new flavor I bought last week. I do not like too sweet sports drinks or that they taste artifical like Powerade and Maxim is definately one of my favorites.

After that it was time for breakfast, a bit delayed but finished it by 9.45 am. My plan was to start run at 11 am but now I would only be 15 minutes off schedule.

It seemed to be a breeze when I started to get ready for the run.

When I started to run I felt this breeze very early and there was a hope that even if it was around 24oC (75F) that it wouldn’t be too bad.

Decided to try to drink every other k, started with water and then sport drink. Then after 10k it would be sport drink every k and water my head when ever needed.

The best thing with this run today was BREEZE BREEZE BREEZE, it was a bit warm in the city but when I left the city and ran out in the country the breeze came back quite often. I was a bit jealous of the biker that passed me that had a much higher speed, his ”run” would be over much sooner than mine.

When I returned back to the city every k became easier and easier.

Also positive was when I got back to the city the breeze was also there, usually it is much warmer and no breeze. And I have to work with myself a lot more mentally to keep running til the end.

Compared to last Saturday which was torture I enjoyed the run a lot, Even if I had to wet my head mentally I was more fresh, my feet was not boiling and the last k’s did not feel LONG at all.

My 25k run has turned out to be 26k and the total time today was 2.51.20 h 🙂

This was worth getting up a bit earlier and get the dough ready before the run

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When I started to run today I regretted a little bit that I didn’t join the ”Fun run” 6.30 this morning. I decided to run a 12.5k run in the afternoon and when I looked at the temperature it showed 30oC (86F) so the water belt would definately not stay home.

In the beginning there was a breeze and I was hoping that it could stay for the rest of the run but then I got out in the sun and heat hit me in the face.

Drinking water every k and wet my hair every other k seemed to be a good mix. It was nice out in the country before Vallkärra. I pass a street there with very picturesque houses and have also been a dream of mine for years to have a house on that particular street.

From time to time it was pretty nice because of the breeze that came back once in a while. There were also some other runners out there which I said hello too and they actually said hello back, that is not always the case.

When I got back to Vallkärra after have been running at Annehem and Fäladen I realized that it had not been a fast run and I was not surprised. On the other hand I am surprised why I choose to run in the afternoon, early evening when it is more warm, me who do not like running in the heat but it also strenghtens me. I have participated in a few races when it has been around 30oC (86F).

Total time today: 1.23.19 h, it could have been better. Average speed: 6.23 min but I am satisfied since it was warmer.

Hope it will be a bit cooler tomorrow. Still remember last Saturday when it was really HOT and do not want to go through that again.

Today I was going to be in charge of a long distance run with a group from Coach K Runners . I have only run solo before.

When I woke up this morning at 7.40 I filled two bottles with water and put them in the refrigerator and then mixed the sports drink. New flavor today. Decided to buy Maxim Tropical now when my Lemon & Lime was empty.

Ate breakfast and then it was time to stretch and put liniment on my right knee and left M. Gluteus maxmimus. Met up with 9 other people outside the little grocery store.

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It looked like it was going to be a warm and humid day. We started with running up to St Hans hills and ran two laps on the new trail alignment. It was warm and sweaty up there, lucky there are parts in the shadow that cools you down. Then out on my 8k run. For a short period of time it was a bit cloudier and cooler but then the heat was back. We thank the farmer that had a water hose outside his farmhouse so some people in the group could fill up their water bottles with fluid. I drank every k and cool my head with water when it was needed.

We got back to Lund and up on the hills again two laps. At the end everybody else was faster than me so the last 4.5k was torture for me, It was time to take out ”pannbenen”. (=Grab the bulls by its horns). I hade decided that today I was going to run the whole run if I didn’t run into issues with my knee or M. Gluteus maximus. The last two laps did not go fast but at least I ran and then it was only 2k back to the finishing line.

When I got back home I went straight to the shower and chilled me down. Slowly I became myself again after 1 liter of H2O, 1 liter of coke and 250 ml of chocolate drink.

Total distance: 26k and total time: 3.11 h. Reached my goal to run 25k before Lidingöloppet. I have at least 3 more 25k runs before the race which should not be a problem.