As a rookie ultra runner I have tried to find a program to get ready for my second Ultra race in May and there was Yoga and Pilates and of course I wondered what these two trainings would give me as a ultra runner. I believe these are good for any runner. So after some searching on the internet I felt that Yoga is w.orth giving it a try.
Last week I tested YinYoga which I believe is good to do early in the morning. Today I tested Poweryoga. The aim is to get to Poweryoga 2 but first you need to learn the positions so I went to Poweryoga 1.
I got myself a mat and a blanket, this time I had my socks on from the beginning and I did not take them off when we were told to take our socks off (I didn’t take them off out of protest, just because I got cold feet last time and wanted to keep my feet warm).
So first we sat down in a lotus pose and just breathed.
After that we were doing Salute to the sun 1 (solhälsning 1) and Salute to the sun 2 (solhälsning 2). At YinYoga we only did Salute to the sun 1.
The other poses we did was the cat (katten), the dog (hunden), was at YinYoga too, Cobra (kobra), also at YinYoga. The cobra showed up in the combo poses and after a while you could choose between doing the cobra or upward dog (uppåtgående hund). We also did the dog with one foot up in the air.
Then we also tried Warrior 1 (krigaren 1) and Warrior 2 (krigaren 2)
Other poses were the dove (duvan) and the lizzard , butterfly (also at YinYoga), child pose (also at YinYoga) and happy Child (also at YinYoga).
The Yoga plank was also a pose (also at YinYoga).
The boat was a new yoga pose for me. The boat (båten) ) is one of my core exercises and then the butterfly (fjärilen).
Last was just to breathe and lay on the mat.
Of all the yoga exercises I have done so far I Believe that Poweryoga is something that would be good to do regularly as a runner but Poweryoga 2 (some of these poses today I did at the yoga class we had with Coach K Runners this summer) but there were also balance and power poses.
Then I have to decide if I should do Pilates or Core regularly. Which one is best for me.
I have been part of a discussion with long distance runners where cross training has been discussed and yoga has been mentioned.
As a rookie ultra runner I have tried to find a program to get ready for my second Ultra race in May and there was Yoga and Pilates and of course I wondered what these two trainings would give me as a ultra runner. I believe these are good for any runner. So after some searching on the internet I felt that Yoga and Pilates is worth giving them a try.
So this evening I tried Pilates for the very first time
Pilates is the art of controlled movements, which should look and feel like a workout when properly manifested. If practiced with consistency, Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength and develops control and endurance in the whole human body.It puts emphasis on alignment, breathing, developing a strong powerhouse, and improving coordination and balance. Pilates system allows for different exercises to be modified in range of difficulty from beginner to advanced or to any other level, and also in terms of the instructor and practitioner’s specific goals and/or limitations. Intensity can be increased over time as the body conditions and adapts to the exercises
When I walked into the room I saw that you should have a mat, ball and some other tool but then the instructor informed us we would only use our body, ”Flow pilates”
Then she went through 3 basics whch were neutral position, breathing and the third I do not remember
We started with imprint where we were buckle the stomach
I now know where some of the core exercises come from on the core that I participate at on Fridays. Pilates comes from Yoga so the Dog was there and after that we went over to Pilates plank to push-up
Side plank was there too and bridging.
It was a lot of core, back exercises and I do not remember all of the names but it is definately an exercise I will do more of.
I am not a person who gets up early in the morning and exercise. I admire people who are getting up early in the morning exercising. The only exeption from this rule is Core which is worth getting up early for.
I have been part of a discussion with long distance runners where cross training has been discussed and yoga has been mentioned.
As a rookie ultra runner I have tried to find a program to get ready for my second Ultra race in May and there was Yoga and Pilates and of course I wondered what these two trainings would give me as a ultra runner. I believe these are good for any runner. So after some searching on the internet I felt that Yoga and Pilates is worth giving them a try.
So this morning, believe or not I did YinYoga 6.45 at Gerdahallen
Yin yoga is a slow-paced style of Yoga with poses, or asanas, that are held for longer periods of time—five minutes or longer per pose is typical. Yin yoga poses apply moderate stress to the connective tissues – the tendons, fascia, and ligaments—with the aim of increasing circulation in the joints and improving flexibility. They are also designed to improve the flow of qi, the subtle energy said in Chinese medicine to run through the meridian pathways of the body. Improved qi flow is hypothesized to improve organ health, immunity, and emotional well-being.] A more meditative approach to yoga, yin aims at cultivating awareness of one’s inner silence, and bringing to light a universal, interconnecting quality
I decided I would be barefoot and walked into the Yoga room and was met by calm music and lit candles. Went and got myself a Yoga mat, saw that the people who already where there had blankets next to them so I got one as well. You could also get other Yoga ”tools” but decided to keep it simple this time.
First the Yoga instructor explained was YinYoga was which I enjoyed a lot and then it was time to focus on the breathing.
After that we did the Child Position which also is a stretching exercise I have done after the gym and also after Core. It felt good doing this for a longer time. After that we did the Butterfly which was one of the tough positions to sit in for a longer time. Then it was the Dog which went over into a position where I put one leg in front, also a stretching exercise I have done after Spinning and Judo. I don’t remember the name. In the end I got tired in the front leg.
Then we did Happy Child position which was going to be intense and we only did that for 2 minutes, for me it was ok.
After that we did a position that I forgot the name of and we could go over to the Seal but the seal was too intense for me this morning. We also did some other positions.
After that we did some stretching. Laid down for a longer time where most put blankets on but I decided I would do this without a blanket.
After a while I had to put socks on.
This Yoga was good starting with early in the morning,a good start of the day. I will try the other Yoga form Another day and Pilates Sunday to see what suits me best.
I was suppose to participate at Coach K Runners Hilly intervals at St Hans hills this morning but since it was raining I decided not to participate since I have had a cold this week and finally can come back and exercise again.
Since the rain didn’t want to leave I decided to do plain intervals on the treadmill at the gym by myself for the first time. I have participated at Coach K Runners plain intervals on a treadmill about 1 year ago.
The intervals exercise consisted of two sets
First 10 minutes warmup with a speed of 6 min/k and then it was time for the first set and realized that I totally forgot to stretch before I started to run which I was punished for. My right knee protested and also my left butt so I decided to have a break between set 1 and set 2. Paused the treadmill and planned to continue where I ended but pushed the wrong button when it was time to get back doing set 2. So I had to start all over.
I am not sure what I did but when I was running 2 minutes intervals the treadmill just stopped. I hate when that happens. And then it happened again. So it was a bit screwed up at set 2.
The interval speed was 5 min/k but it seems to me that I can increase the interval speed next time I do this.
I am not very fond of treadmills but the positive thing with intervals on treadmills is that you can set a pace and keep it.
Afterwards I did the side plank and then 3 min regular plank.
Dec 14th, I woke up 5 am. Why I am getting up so early on a Sunday you might wonder, that’s because I would run my first ultra race and I was going to be picked up at 6.45 to get a ride to Tjörnarp.
So breakfast first and then pack the last things and then I was heading out the door. In the car was Jens, David, Johan, Viktor and me. I wanted to be there 1 h before the race started but we ended up being there already 7.20 and they teased me about it in the car that we had to sit in the car now til they opened the school, just before the race started, where we could change and leave our clothes. There was even a sauna 🙂
I didn’t believe them and went out for a walk. I saw that it was light in the basement and went down at the back down the stairs and a door was open 🙂 and also Viktor the ”janitor” showed up. I also found out that it took about 10 min to walk to the start.
After a while some other girls showed up in the locker room, Lisa and Collette, and then Karin and Marie from CKR.
I put liniment on and did some stretching before it was time to walk to the start. The streets were icy and it was chilly in the air but the forecast was that the sun would come out eventually 🙂
41 had signed up, not a lot of girls and and 4 did not show up. Lars had some short information and then it was time for the mandatory Coach K Runners group picture. We were 11 in the team.
After that it was the count-down to start and then the race started.
It was very obvious from the very beginning that I was last but I was not sad about that. Didn’t really want to run with someone since you might get distracted and miss the markers because you are talking too much and a lot can happen during 50K. I had the hawk eye on.
After some k I realized that the pulse watch did not show the time and distance and tried to fix it but there was no such luck. I swore at the watch but told myself that you cannot run around for 50K and be angry, let it go. Since I have not been able to transfer the map over to the pulse watch I used Endomondo and realized that she was talking to me and let me know how far I have run and my finishing time 🙂 that was my saviour this day, it is very important to drink and eat frequently during an ultra race so you are not passing out. Since my pulse watch did not work properly I did not get any distance warning every 2.5K but Endomondo talked to me every 2K so I tried that would work as the distance warning.
I did not have any problems finding the markers but before 10K my right knee was not really satisfied but I could still run and didn’t have to stop and was keeping a good pace. But a thought came up, don’t say that I won’t be able to finish. Something told me it would be a long day.
Then all of a sudden a guy came from the other direction when I had been out for 1..22 h and I felt that no way that this is the first runner back and that was correct, he had run wrong somewhere so now I was not last any longer, there was some hope 🙂
When I came to the first fuel station I was met by cheering and ate 0.5 banana and some water.
I thought that the guy that was behind me would pass me at some point but he didn’t. Now I was on my way to Frostavallen and it was very gooey at some places. One road looked like this 🙂
(this was what Lars posted in the event on FB the day before and I was wondering which road it would be but it was obvious when I got there)
The second fuel station was at Nyrups Naturhotell where I was served warm blueberry soup :-). I found out that there were some other runners that had strayed away and that two guys were in the lead now, it was no longer a big group of runners. For the first time I was visiting the toilet, have not happened at any runs or races before, not even at the 45K run we did Nov 22nd.
When I had run maybe 1K I had to stop and stretch my right knee, accepted that I probably would have to stop once in a while to stretch my knee and knew now that 7h might not be my finish time.
When I started to be a bit grumpy was when I was running on the black mark and saw a bigger puddle and was hoping I could run on the side where it would be dry but did I have such luck???????? NO so now I got really wet and there was some sworing plus my left big toe had bumped into some roots and stones and was not very satisfied either. All of a sudden when I had gotten out on a dirt road someone stood and cheered me on which helped a lot. I had now reached the third fuel station where there were candy, chips and salty cucumber (urk) and knew that I was on my way to the green mark which would begin with a very steep hill. Opened a bag of chips and ate that and some candy. I got a lot of pep here too and got some energy back. Also when one guy said that think about how it feel when you get the finish long sleeve shirt.
And then this hill came, it was tough even walking up this hill, my legs were really tired at this moment. The last 20K would be very tough but one of my good qualities is that I am stubborn. It would take longer that I had planned but the goal was to run through the finish line.
The only time I got a bit confused was when I was leaving the green mark and would run back on the orange mark. There was a arrow pointing to the left but then straight ahead was also showing orange so I was thinking I would run and take a look straight ahead and then saw this mystic modern house and knew that it was not straight I would run because I was passing this house when I came from Tjörnarp and was on my way to Frostavallen. For a short moment I thought that maybe I could call the race director to ask for directions but I was suppose to handle this on my own and checked Endomondo which showed I had made the right choice.
It was after 14.00 (2 pm) and the rule was that I would not be able to continue the race if I didn’t have a reflective vest and headlight. Since I am not a fast long distance runner and have experienced running into issues with knees and hips in the past and have been forced to walk part of the run I packed my reflective vest and headlight in the back pack and that turned out it was very smart. When I got to the fourth fuel station I once again was met by cheering and the first question was if I had a headlight and got OK to continue. I ate some banana, candy and put some extra in my jacket, Conny’s home made gel was also put in the front of the back pack plus one energy bar. I found out that the first guy had not continued, he had viewed the nature more than followed the markers but there was also another guy who was only 20 min before me after the third fuel station and had strayed away and was now after me. It turned out he did not have any headlight and did not get an OK to continue.
The last 10K would be LONG and before I continued I shouted that I am going to run through the finish line. My legs were really tired, knee was still complaining.
Endomondo was still talking to me, the last 10K was running, walking, stretching. It might have been 4 or 3 K left when Endomondo did not talk anymore, not a good sigh. After the thicket (”snårskogen”) I put on the reflective vest and headlight to get ready for the dark.
Then after the last asphalt road and into the woods again the dark was there. I was as cool as a cucumber (= lugn som en filbunke), the same when I cannot find my buddy when diving. Decided to walk and systematic and methodical find the yellow taped portions. SInce my mobile now was dead I couldn’t make any errors. Then all of a sudden I hear a voice in front of me and Viktor the ”janitor” showed up and was walking with me, when I got to Tjörnarp Petra stood on the other side of the train tracks and was cheering me on, when I got on the other side and started running Lars came and cheered me on and I heard the cheering at the finish line. So after 8.07.50 h I ran through the finish line, being the last person but it was just fine, I FINISHED 🙂 🙂 🙂
I got a goodie bag, a plaque and then Fanta. Indoors were coffee and sandwich and the finish long sleeve shirt. I had a speech for Lars and told him about the great pep at the fuel stations.
To sum up my first ultra race:
Negative: Did not succed transfer the route to the pulse watch and pulse watch did not show time and distance, knee issue started before 10K, battery died on my mobile
Positive: Well organized race, good information, great organizer, great officials, great fuel stations, beautiful route, Viktor who met me in the dark woods when I was on my way back, Petra who stood on the other side of the train tracks cheering me on, the people who stood at the finishing line cheering me on at the end. The ”fika” and sandwich afterwards, the finishing long sleeve shirt. Someone said that it is also strong to continue for 8 h and finish the race and you have what it takes to be a ultra runner 🙂 I have known that I have endurance but Sunday Dec 14th really proved that.
This is the route:
This is the elevation:
And here come the result:
What I brought with me:
In my jacket I had 1 water bottle, 1 bottle with sports drink (Maxim Tropical), jägarsnus, mobile phone, 2 tubes with Enervit Sports powder, extra ziplock
In my backpack, in the back I had the reflective vest, headlight, toilet paper, wipes, map, 2 energy bars, Conny’s home made gel, 1 water bottle, in the front, 1 bottle with sport drink, 2 snickers, dextrose.
In the back
Next ultra race: Lidingö Ultra 50K is not going to take 8h
This morning it was time for the last tough hilly long run before the ultra in December.
Since the temperature had dropped I wore the orange long sleeve shirt, fleece jacket, red jacket, winter pants, one of my warmer socks, realized that I totally forgot to put on my compression socks, which explains why I felt tired in my legs much earlier, gloves and hat.
Also water, Enervit Orange Flavor, ”jägarsnus”, snickers and dextrose.
I also wore the Garmin Forerunner 310XT and now it was beepin every 2.5K which is exactly how I want it.
First I ran up to St Hans and ran 4 laps. Brought my spikes and it didn’t look too bad in the beginning but was glad I put them on. Some parts that weren’t gooey earlier were now. Positive was that it was not so weat in the grass.
After that I continued on mine and Eva B’s compromise run. My right knee was a bit upset when I started but became glad again when I had run on the flat part for a while 🙂 I thought that I might be forced to walk but that didn’t happen. On ”Lilla Vallkärra vägen” (= Little Vallkärra road) there was an upwind which challenged me :-). When I got back to Annehem I continued on part of Mats J’s ”Glädjepassrunda (=fun run) and back on St Hans hills 4 laps. My legs were really tired on the last 4 laps and I got company with some ”frisbee golfare” (=frisbee golfers). Before it was time to run back home I ran up the top hill again and then on my alternative Annerhem part and ate more energy and fluid to keep my brain from not giving up. What bothered me in the end was actually my left foot that complained.
Temperature: 3oC (37F), distance: 40.13K, total time: 5.11.08 h, average speed: 7.45 min/k, max speed: 5.30 min/k
Now it is time for the resting period before the race in December.
I wanted to have ”dress” rehearsal before my first ultra race in December. Asked Åke and Lars if they wanted to herding me around 40K in a comfortable pace and that I was going to find the markers and they said yes. So this morning I took the train up to Höör where Åke picked me up at the train station and we drove to Lars ”Tjörnarparen” and Robert and Conny would join us too.
On the train I had time go through some songs for the choir’s 25 anniversary concert next week.
In Stehag we had to get off the train and take a bus to Höör and also on the bus I had time to go through more songs. I got a cold in the beginning of the week and had not been able to sing Had done everything in my power to get rid of the cold so I can sing next week and that I could run this weekend
So here we are before we started this wonderful long hilly run, we look very fresh. I am surrounded by guys who are very familiar with these surroundings.
We strated the run from Tjörnarp where the ultra race will start so I got to run the beginning of the race and find the yellow markers, both on the wooden posts and the extra yellow markers. There was one place where I was not paying attention where I turned left but should run up in the woods, on the other hand it was a fence further down 🙂
I have realized that when I am a bit tired if an Arrow shows that I have to run straight, I interpret that it will be left instead, it happened on this run and there was another person who admitted that he also could do the same thing, felt nice to hear that I was not alone 🙂
During this run some of us (not me) put up the extra yellow markers and we also came to the same place as last week when we got disoriented. we got too far to the left but now we let Åke take the lead and show us the way.
We also discussed the fuel stations and Lars thought that most of us would get tired around 30K and at that fuel station it will be served candy and other energizers and he was so right. At 30K my legs started to get tired but I still could run 🙂
October 19th Roger and I got disoriented and today the guys let me be in the front to see if I would run the correct way this time and I DID IT!
At 35K it started to get really tough and I was glad it was only 5K left but I was so wrong. I had not been part of the discussion and talked with Robert who informed that the run would be longer than 40K, first I did not believe him and shouted to Lars, are we going to run 45K, are you serious????? There was a miscalculation and I found out that yes it will be 45K. Good thing with this was that I would get the experience what would happen on the last 10K. I also realized that I would become a ultra runner which was big for me 🙂
The last 5K was really tough, I got the tip to get everything that I got left to put in my system because my legs was VERY TIRED so the second Snickers was eaten, all my disgusting Enervit orange flavor sports drink. I gave Åke my bag with ”Jägarsnus” (raisings, peanuts and chocolate) because he looked beaten and he got the energy back.
The last 1.8K was torture and I had to take out ”pannbenen” (= bull by its horn)
No one of us had been running longer than a marathon before so after this run we all became ultra runners :-). I am glad for the total time in those woods. We all agreed that we all will run the last 5K in December (finish the ultra race), the speed will definately be slower and the time that I think I will finish with seems to be quite accurate.
The company was great today and I was glad to hear that Lars had never felt so fresh, last weekend most of the ”snabbfotarna” (=fast footers) was tired when they increased the speed.
Total distance: 45K , total time: 5.53.15 h, average speed: 8.55 min/k, max speed: 5.40 min/k
Today a bigger group of Coach K Runners ran up at Frostavallen. I was picked up by Mats and Karin at 10 am and met the rest at Frostavallen around 11 am. We were 20 people. Most was belonging to the fast category and it was decided that one grop would run 14.5K and the ”fast group” would run 23K.
It turned out my foot sensor was dead so I did not know my pace or distance during the two runs I did. I will explain later 🙂
I took some group Pictures since I was running last.
I brought with me what I plan to wear, eat and drink Dec 14th when I will run my first ultra. In my Haglöfs jacket I had ”Jägarsnus” (raisins, peanuts and chocolate), one bottle of water and one bottle of the yucky Enervit Orange Flavor, it will be replaced by Maxim Tropical flavor instead which taste 1000 times better and my mobile phone.
And at the moment I am testing a backpack called Nathan Vaporshape – 2 L where I had snickers, dextrose and one bottle of Enervit orange flavor in the front and one bottle of water in the back plus a dauerbinda – elastic bandage, toilet paper and wipes.
During the first run I discussed with Åke what I needed to run after the first 14.5K when the first group would come back to the parking lot and he suggested the green marker trail so I said goodbye to the others and told them that I will run the green marker trail, in case of an emergency. This made my day because now I could keep my pace and also train to find the markers.
Here are the toughest hills on my second run.
This was the first time I ran by myself and found all the green markers, there were a couple of crossroads where I had to make a decision where to run next, there was no marker and Åke who is used to run these types of runs once told me that if there is no marker to the right, run straight and maybe my brain has learned that now.
So the first run was 14.5K and the second run was 9.7K which is a total of 24.2K. Total time: 2.57.02 h.
When I got back to the parking lot realizing I have managed to find all the markers myself I ”hjulade” – cartwheeling because I was so proud of myself.
I decided I would see how well it would work to bring boiled water and put noodles there but it is better boling it on the stove but I got lunch plus coffee and it was a nice ”fika” where we discussed what to do if we would see a wild boar on the Ultra.
To sum it up, it was perfect to start Saturday with a 24.2K trail run at Frostavallen.
Tonite it was time again for 90 minutes ski walking / running with walking poles in the dark.
First I ran up there which is approximately 2K.
Mandatory is reflective vest and headlight and even if it is colder I have my water belt with me because I am going to need it 🙂
When I got up to the top hill it was already someone up there and then you could see lights coming up to the top hill in the dark. We left our water bottles on the top hill
First it was warmup: jogging, indian jumps, kick in the butt and then repeat 5 jumps on the right foot and then 5 jumps on the left foot x 5, then 10 long jumps x 5.
Then it was time for getting to the longest hill and walk with poles half way and then run with poles to the top.
The we ran from the middle hill up to the top.
After that we did 40 runs with poles up towards the top and then 20 walks with poles down and repeated this til we got to the top hill x 4.
Here I am one of the people that are less rapid then the rest
After that it was time to run with the poles down to the grove, 10s regular plank and then ran up the steepest part of the top hill with poles x 5.
Then we did my favorite exercise: 5 low lunges, 5 pushup repeated this til we got to the top and then while we waited for the last people we stood in “Jägarevila”. Here I am number two to finish.
Finished with squats on the left foot, then sqauts on the right foot x 5.
After that 1 lap on St Hans Extreme with poles, Tomas’s variation and then we were done. Today I was in the front for a change 🙂
If you do this right you get really tired in your upper arms plus later you get sore in your calves and front thighs.
This morning it was time for another tough hilly long run.
Was aiming at starting at 10.30 am. Temperature was around 11oC (52F) and the sun was out 🙂
Since it was going to be a longer flat run during this run I was bringing spikes for the hills.
I felt a bit groggy at the end last week so I decided I would bring another blend of junk with me: dextrose, ”jägarsnus” (raisins, chocolate and peanuts) and snickers. And liquid was water and the disgusting sports drink Enervit Orange flavor. I bought a jar and if I keep drinking it, it will be gone sooner 🙂 Won’t be the sports drink I will have in December for sure.
I also tested a Nathan Vaporshape – 2 L which works. I was hoping that I could have 2 water bottles but could only have one but you can have your junk mix in pockets in the front and I also had junk in my pockets on my Haglöfs jacket which I plan to wear in December as well.
So up to St Hans hills where I put on my spikes and 4 laps there. A lot of bikers were there today and some frisbee players, they also were fixing the frisbee baskets. Some parts were more gooey now. My right knee was complaining, I think it might be that I unconsciously run differently because I know that the spikes are not as good as my Fellraisers. Time to take off my gooey spikes and put them in my pockets 🙂
When I was running on my flat run I saw Tomas J on his rollerskis and said hi.
The flat run today consisted of Eva and mine compromise run but when I got to Annehem I continued on Mats J’s ”Glädjepass” run (Fun run) and back to St Hans running 3 laps where I put on my spikes again. The last time I ran at the amphitheater I was very tired in my legs. Then before I ran home I ran up the top hill again and the first hill after that and then the narrow part and then I took off my spikes.
Then it was time to head home. Was very tired in my legs, feet and butt but not as groggy so the junk mix will probably be what I will bring with me on my first Ultra run in December.
Distance: 37.01K, total time: 4.42.09 h, a big improvement compared to last week but had rested my legs this week, average speed: 7.37 k/min and max speed: 5.35 min/k 🙂
