#4 – Transport to St Hans hills
#5 – Hilly intervals
#6 – Transport back to home

I was thinking about it earlier, if I should get a cold a good time would be now. Sunday last weekend in the evening I felt that I was going to get a cold and tried everything in my power to be just fine Monday morning but no such luck.

So I have been off training since Monday, was hoping I wouldn’t run into the same cold as this Spring when I had a cold for 5 weeks. Lucky me I got better every day.

The plan was to run around Kullaberg this Saturday but I had a cough Friday, when I run into a cold I want to be without a cold for a day and then the day after I will train. Saturday in the morning I still had a cough plus it started raining in the morning.

Am careful when I have a cold with a cough, not starting training to soon otherwise the cough will be very difficult to get rid of.

Monday this week I had a cough in the morning so decided not to run during lunch, planned being at the gym yesterday but decided to not do it either. Had a slightly cough this morning but decided to give it a try to train today. Maybe not the smartest thing to start with hilly intervals.

I heard it rain when I slept and when I woke up this morning it was raining so I planned to do hilly intervals instead on the boring treadmill at the gym because it would very likely wet and gooey but then in the afternoon the sun came out. I had decided to work from home because I always get started early with work and then I can get off earlier and train also earlier.

When the sun got out I changed my mind and decided that I would head up to St Hans Hills and do those 9 intervals that I had planned.

Even if it was 17oC (62.6F) I decided I would wear my capri tights, long sleeve and compressions socks (I had cramp in my left calf this morning and get issues with my right calf after a while during trail running). I was hoping I wouldn’t be too warm but I am not interested in running in another cold short after this one. I really have to be able to stay on my feet to get ready for the ultra race in November now when I am one week behind. On the other hand it is good to have a rest once in a while. It has been a lot of longer trail runs lately with some tougher hills.

Decided not to bring any water. Since I thought it would be very wet and gooey I was going to run in my altra lonepeak.

I ran up to St Hans Hills and got ready for the first interval. Did not think it would go fast today but I didn’t mind since I have been having a cold for a week, I just hoped that I would be able to run those 9 intervals.

I realized that it wasn’t so gooey and wet as I thought and was glad that I changed my mind running on a real hill instead of on a treadmill.

There were some other runners there as well. Some did also intervals on different part of St Hans Hills and some ran the St Hans Extreme route.

Always tough when I get to the top. Really breathless and have to catch my breath before I run down to the starting point again. Waited til I got below 140 in heart rate before I started to run down to the starting point.

Catched my breath til I was around 124 in heart rate.

It was a bit gooey just before the top, on the first intervals I ran at the side of the most gooey part and then got back on the sandy part.

Then it was time for the second interval, stayed away from the most gooey part again and had to catch my breath on the top. Physilogically I counted down every time at the top so after the first interval I knew it was only 8 left. And on the second interval I knew it was only 7 intervals left, felt easier every time.

Ran down to the starting point and catched my breath, I noticed that when I was going down in heart rate I went up a few before I went down again, there must some explanation for that.

On the third interval I fel sore in one of my back thighs and hoped it wouldn’t get worse.

Breathless at the top and had to get down below 140 before I started to run down to the starting point.

Fourth interval I did not feel sore in the back thigh, breathless at the top once again. Nice view with the sun out.

Fifth interval I decided I would see how it was to run on the gooey part and survived without gliding. Catched my breath at the top.

Felt that I would make it to nine and now I have run more than half of them too.

Sixth was the same, ran on the gooey part.

On the interval 7-9 I was tired in my calves but I made it, good to train on tired calves, they might very likely be that in November on the second lap

And then finally the last interval and I made it, I thought it would be much tougher today but I took it easy. I was fine with running slower, I am not 100% fit yet after having a cold and hope I will be able to run my longer trail run this weekend.

Then it was just to calm down a bit, stretch my right calf and then run back to home.

Nice to see that it is still so green outside even if it is September but I am looking forward to those Fall colors as well.

Distance: 8.58K, time: 1.14.38h, average heart rate: 144, average pace: 8.41 min/k, max pace: 5.23 min/k, cadence: 160, VO2 Max: 30 ml/kg/min

Transport to St Hans Hills: Distance: 1.62K, time: 10.26.7 min, average pace: 6.27 min/k

Transport back to home: Distance: 1.66K, time: 12.50.2 min, average pace: 7.43 min/k (Took some pictures during this run)

Major mile stone today, first time I ran 9 intervals up those hills.