Today it was time to get to the gym and lift weights.
Since I decided to once again participate in Suz’s challenge, 7 runs during one week. I have to be Creative this week.
Since I really did not need any warmup for today’s exercises and I had ate thai food with couscous for lunch, it felt that I could wait til the end to run on the treadmill.
So after I had done triceps, legs and biceps exercises I headed to the treadmill.
The resting period weeks have now started before Lidingöloppet end of September, I ran 4K in a comfortable pace, 6 min/k. Total time: 24.10 minutes.
This morning I woke up at 7 am and got ready for a 30K flat run.
Marina asked me on the hilly intervals Thursday if she could join me on this run and of course she was welcome.
It felt chilly, very windy so I went back home and got another long sleeve shirt + gloves 🙂 Yes I am serious, I wore gloves part of the run but took them off after a couple of k’s. Marina on the other hand ran in t-shirt.
Marina was suppose to run to Lomma and back. I told her that she decide how far she would run with me.
During the run Marina came up with the idea that she would run 20K with me and take the bus home from Bjärred.
We both wanted to live near the water, I found out she grew up in Timmernabben which is not too far from where I grew up and we both want to participate in Kalmar Ironman 🙂
We had a lot of good discussions about Lidingöloppet, how great Coach K Runners is as a runner group and other discussions.
I am used to run solo but this run felt so much faster with great company. Marina needed to learn how to run slower so I was a good pacer for her. She ended up running the whole run with me and her longest run before was 24K and now she ran 30K. Now she is ready for Lidingöloppet. The temperature was perfect, 16oC (61F). Total time: 3.06.05 h. New faster time before breakfast. Thanks Marina for being a bit faster than me.
I thought that I have had back luck with the batteries but it turned out it was a short circuit in my foot sensor so I had it in for repair this week and got it back. On this run everything was screwed up. The average speed was way to fast and the distance was way too long.
We had a bit of a laugh, I was joking saying that Marina was very slow today and I was very fast but we were having the same speed?????. It is going to be interesting on Lidingöloppet when I want to get a new PB.
This is how glad we were after running 30K early this Saturday morning.
Tonite it was Newaza (judo wrestling) First it was warmup but a bit differently.
We did ”drop ball” where we were two teams, one team started with a ball and the aim was to get as much points before the other team got the ball. You pounded the ball with both hands in the judo mat and then passed the ball to another team member. The other team needed to get the ball from the first team. A lot of running around. Unknown distance.
Then it was some other warm up.
Then Newaza. Stil not in good shape since I have not exercised judo the whole summer.
Still felt a bit lightheaded after donating blood so I was sitting every other round. Good start Friday evening.
Tonite it was hilly intervals on St Hans hills with Coach K Runners. We started with warmup: jogging and doing indian jumps, running backwards and ”kicking butt” and then it was time for the intervals.
This is the longest hill which is approxiamately 500 m, it felt like it was going to be a tough evening 🙂 I was going fast in the beginning but then it just got slower and slower. My calves felt very tired on top of each hill.
This describes how I felt this evening. Felt very gluey at the end of every hill.
This is the shortest hill which is approximately 70 m, in the end I could actully run faster and faster up this hill 🙂
Sometimes I wonder why I let myself do this but I also know that I will become a faster runner both on flat ground but also on hilly runs as well.
I do not regret that I was doing these intervals tonite even if it felt gluey. Maybe I still am tired after 4 laps Monday evening and that I donated blood yesterday.
The intervals were first up the longest hill (approximately 500 m), middle hill (approximately 250 m) and then the shortest hill (approximately 70 m), this was done 4 times.
Tonite I had the pleasure of running 4 laps on St Hans Extreme (10K), the new trail alignment with another Coach K Runner Marina Nyman who also going to run Lidingöloppet but had never been running St Hans Extreme before.
In the afternoon the temperature got up to 22oC (72F) so I planned to have my water belt with me but later on it dropped down to 18oC (64F) so I decided to wear my semi compression running pants, compression socks and t-shirt.
Ran to St Hans hills and met Marina there.
If you are going to get faster it is always good to run with a faster runner and Marina was faster than me so I tried to keep up with her tempo.
There were some other runners there as well and when we were on our third or fourth lap a bigger group were running up and down the top hill.
Of course some freesbee players were out in the bushes so I used the Word ”FORE” a couple of times.
PB today, thanks Marina: 1.07.09 h
Now it is proved that it is something wrong with my foot sensor. The battery died at 1.45K so now it will be sent in for repair
Today it was time for a short run after the long run yesterday.
I thought that I would be tired in my legs and the speed would be slow but when I started my feet were fast from the beginning. It feels so much better now when the temperature is cooler, 22oC (72F).
There was some upwind but not too bad. 🙂
In the end of my 5k run there is a steep hill up on the bike path and I tried not to slow down. The battery is still alive. So great to have good batteries again.
Totalt time today: 29.49.3 min. Average speed: 6.06 min and was really sweaty when I got back home and have also some after sweat.
This afternoon I was going to run a tough hilly long distance run, 30k and thought that I would do it solo but then my friend Eva Berg from Coach K Runners wanted to join me. I left my home and couldn’t first figure out why I couldn’t see any pulse on my pulse watch but realized I have forgotten to put on my pulse belt and have to run back home and put it on. 🙂
Eva joined me at the paddock.
So first we ran three laps on St Hans Extreme, the temperature was around 28oC (82F) but we survived because it was a breeze. When we were on our way up to St Hans we heard noices and saw that it was a ”New student” institute of technology competition going on so when we ran down the top hill we had to take an alternative way the first 2 laps and then on the third lap we could run across and continue. Eva had only run 2 laps before so she now ran 3 laps. Congratulations Eva!
The plan then was to run my 8k run but Eva came with a suggestion to run past the riding stable and back to Annehem and then to St Hans and I thought that was a great suggestion. When we came to Annehem we ran to Eva’s friend so Eva could get more water. 🙂
When we got back to St Hans we ran St Hans Extreme reverse, Eva joined me one more lap so now she has run 4 laps on St Hans. I am going to try to get her to run St Hans Extreme next year. I ran one more lap reverse and now my legs were tired and my feet warm.
Here I am at the amphitheater
And now it is time to run back home past the paddock again
I was wearing my compression socks on this run, need to get used to them now when I am going to use them on Lidingöloppet. Distance: 30.40k, total time: 3.26.19 h and my last tough hilly long distance run before Lidingöloppet. I survived today because of the breeze. Thanks Eva Berg for the company and thanks Polar for the batteries. The battery has not died yet. I now know where I will buy my batteries in the future.
Tonite it was barefoot running, warmup at Newaza (= judo wrestling), unknown distance. The running was not a problem.
After warmup it was time for Newaza. It was great being back, we were a smaller group tonite. It was tough, it does not help me at all that I have been running the whole summer and not been doing any judo. These are totally different sports. In judo you have someone in your way that try to take you down and you have to take the other person down and get him or her in restraint.
Tonite it was hilly intervals on St Hans hills with Coach K Runners.
When I was running up to St Hans I had the pleasure of running with Tomas, who was the leader tonite, who was participating in Kalmar Ironman middle of August, my hometown. I asked him about the actual Ironman, where they biked after Öland and where the marathon was. Earlier it was a triahtlon and a couple of years ago it became a Ironman and they bike now on Öland (earlier they were biking where my parents live) and now they are not running where my parents live anymore. I also asked him a bit about the preparation. It is my dream to do Kalmar Ironman one day.
First we warmed up with some running and ”Indian jumps” and ”Kick your butt”. After that it was time for the hilly intervals
First we ran up the longest hill. It was not that bad.
Then after we have gotten our breaths back it was time for the middle hill and I was doing just fine.
Then after we have gotten our breaths back we ran up the shortest steepest hill. Even if I had compression socks I was feeling tired my calves.
Then we redid the same hills 2 times more. I was not as explosive as I was two weeks ago, maybe it could have something to do with that I had a cold last week 🙂
Tomas said we were a fast group so we finished with a bonus run which was running up the longest hill one more time.
Here are the warriors that participated in the hilly intervals tonite. Wonderful weather, the sun was out.
Now I feel tired in my front thighs and calves, just like it should be 🙂
