Etikettarkiv: ultrarunnercomeback

Running Pain Free

Gym

The plan was to run 3K on the treadmill but I got to the gym a bit later than I usually do and the treadmill was crowded, decided to see if the treadmills would be free later.

Continued with the weight training: hips, triceps, biceps, legs (lunges with bar for instance), core: plank with toe rolling, plank, boat with weight, pilates), hip tabata.

Finished with stretching.

Realized when I was on my out from the gym area that my locket key was gone, that is how it is going when  you are taking off your shoes where you have your locker key. Tried to find it. Had to go to the reception and admit my mistake, got help to get into my locker and I had to show an id ( appreciated that a lot: getting into my locker but also that they asked for id). Bought a new lock on my way out.

Massage

This week it was time for 30 minutes massage before work.

Still is a bit stiff in my neck and felt that massage my calves and neck first hand.

The masseur said that she could have massaged my calves for 1h. They were stiff close to the knee so maybe that can be a reason why I have a knee issue. I was stiff on the inside of the calves.

I might go over to 1h massage.

The masseur suggested squats two times a day.

Gym

Today I could start running 2.5K on the treadmill before I continued with the strength training. No issue with the knee during the run. I stretched before and after the run.

Today it was back, shoulder, tried 3 kg, something happened during one of my trail runs and have not been able to do any shoulder exercises but started light today and was able. Then it was squat with a bar and hip stabilizing exercises.

Finished with core, hip strengthening, foamrolling and stretching.

When I started my hip exercises I realized that I did not have my gym card on me, realized in that instant that when I ran on the treadmill that I put the card at the front at the treadmill. Went down there quickly, a guy with head phones was running on the treadmill, try to get in contact with him but he ignored me. So I waited til he had stepped off the treadmill. The card was not there. Asked the gym instructor if someone has given him a lost card but he hadn’t, the guy who I thought did not hear what I was saying came to me and asked me if I had found the card????? No and he thought that the instructor got it.

Went to the reception but they hadn’t either so we went back to the gym to check and we then met the gym instructor who had find the card:-) Not been my days at the gym this week. Hope this won’t happen again.

PowerYoga 2

Decided to go to a Yoga class to start the weekend. I think it is the second time I have been at the Yoga class, the Yoga instructor makes us do some very challenges Yoga positions.

A lot of Dog, plank, warrior but then this Friday it was time for some new challenging Yoga positions that I didn’t manage all the way but one I could actually manage. I have something to work on.

Good hip stretching tonite, dove again which I like a lot. I am so glad that I am back with Yoga again. Hope that this will do wonders.

Tomorrow I will found out if I see some progress with my knee when I am back with my trail running at one of favorite trail places around my neighborhood.

Running Pain Free

After had talked with Rich who is a life coach and I talked with him about what has been going on since 2016 he said those magic words. You know where this is heading. Realized a few things.

Stopped doing Yoga
Gone from going to the gy twice a week to once a week.

He suggested massage every other week so this is the second week after Kullamannen. The first week I did two Yoga classes and 60 minutes massage.

This week it was time to run which I did Thursday, was suppose to be 10K but due to rain I cut the distance to 7.5K. Then it would be two times at the gym and then one Yoga class.

Gym

Did the short program with biceps, triceps, legs and core.

Tried a new hip exercise called hip tabata, 4 min

Plank leg raise
Squat to side
Side lunge
Single leg crab
Wide squat
Superman
Lung to heel raise

Did all the core exercises

The day after I felt that tired in my core muscles

Foamrolled and stretched.

Gym

Second day at the gym I started with 2.5K run on the treadmill with a 6 min/k pace.

Then it was focus on back, cannot due any shoulders yet, did something on a trail run earlier this year. Legs and core again.

So now when I am doing gym twice a week I could do all my back exercises.

Realized that some exercises on the hip tabata were not accurate so I redid them. Did some of my regular hip exercises, most of my core exercises. No foamrolling but stretching. Forgot to stretch before the treadmill but did not run into any issues.

YinYoga

Ended the week with YinYoga.

Interesting to hear the Yoga instructor saying that YinYoga was not about stretching. You are sitting in a Yoga position for 5-6 minutes, for me it is strething also.

Today I did Yoga positions for hips, back and arms.

Feeling this week is that I have been doing hips twice, core twice and it feels which means that I am going in the right direction. Hopefully I will be able to run pain free. Next week it is time to get back on the trail. It is going to be interesting to see if it will be different or not.

 

7.5K Short Run

#72

This is the second week after the race ”Double Death” (=Dubbeldöden), part of Kullamannen, November 3rd.

I decided to take one rest week the first week after, took two Yoga classes and had 60 minutes massage.

This week is was time to start running again, the original plan was to run 10K.

Had to run some errands after work but when I got back home I put on my running clothes and decided to use the headlight that I bought last year to use on the race Double Death, incredible headlight where u see way ahead of u and to the sides. There is one dark dirt road and then when I turn to the left on the asphalt there is no lights there either.

Felt that I had a good pace from the beginning, decided that I wouldn’t look at the watch, just let my legs decide what pace they wanted and go for it.

Stretched before I headed out, felt a bit in my right knee when I started the run but it disappeared. Some cars passed me when I was on the dirt road but felt that they saw me early.

When I had run more than half the route it started to rain and I decided to cut the distance, I have not have had a cold yet and not plan to have it either.

At the end I also felt a bit in my right knee but was not forced to stop. I get the feeling it is going in the right direction with Yoga now and massage twice.

This week I will go back to the gym twice a week instead of one and will see if that will do wonders.

Results

The cadence was 180 today, long time ago I saw that 🙂 I ran the whole route without stopping.

Weight report

– 0.35 kg from yesterday. I will keep up the good work, will be better when I get back on those trail runs.

Running Pain Free

This was the first rest week after the race Double Death Nov 3rd.

Decided to do the same as if I would have finished an ultra race. Which means 2 Yoga classes and massage.

Started the week with YinYoga, great Yoga when you are stiff. You sit longer in each position, 4-5 minutes. Never know in advance what the Yoga positions will be but it was concentrated on the hips and gluteus. This time I also used yoga bolsters when it felt too tough. I avoided these tough bending positions. Was not ready for those yet.

60 minutes massage was well invested money. Felt that I needed 60 minutes. The masseur started with my back, felt that my lower back was tired after the race, neck, thighs both back and front, calves and finished with my neck. A couple of weeks ago I got pain in my neck, have not fallen during training, sleeping with open window. That neck massage helped a lot. Did not feel anything in the evening afterwards or the morning after, felt pain again in the afternoon. It has been a bit better this week even if the pain is not gone completely. Will be more neck massage especially til summer due to a new challenge I have decided to do this summer.

Ended with PowerYoga 2. Since I did not finish the last lap I felt that I did not need two YinYoga classes, PowerYoga would be just fine. Had some yoga positions where all participants balance got challenged. Could not go all in when it came to some yoga positions. Was still stiff.

Double Death

Finally this weekend came when it would be time for Kullamannen, Double Death.

This is the second year that we have headed up on Friday, the day before the race.

I thought it would be better to not have to take the car on Saturday, instead head up on Friday, check in to a hotel, pack up the equipment I would need on Saturday, eat a nice dinner, get to bed early, eat breakfast and get ready for the race, also nice to have someone with me, who are close to me, who would cheer me on during the day. Very appreciated.

This year they moved the start a bit further up because they would renovate the harbour in Mölle so we switched hotel to Grand Hotel, or actually not the main hotel but one of Grand Hotel’s other hotels.

The number bibs got to me before the race so I didn’t have to get it Friday or Saturday. We booked dinner at Grand Hotel, I realized when I got to the hotel that my gloves were at home and hoped that I would be able to buy new ones. They have runner stores who sell things during these race days and lucky me I could buy a pair.

When we walked down to dinner the first 100 miles runner passed the hotel where the loop was so I cheered him on.

It was raining during the evening and I hoped that it wouldn’t be this type of weather Saturday. Kept my fingers crossed.

The dinner was yummy.

Then it was time to head back to the hotel and put the running clothes on the couch, mix the sports drink and charge the batteries for the headlight and also the extra battery for the mobile phone and then sleep.

Woke up the next morning and when we walked to breakfast there were 100 miles runners who passed the loop so I cheered them on.

Nice to see that the sun was out, it looked like it would be a great race day.

Had breakfast with a very nice view. Was nice to sit there and eat breakfast and then breathe for a moment.

I asked the information where the start would be because it was not really clear but now I knew.

When I was heading out from the hotel Camilla P showed up, she would do the Black Course. I wished her luck. While I was waiting for Wille to move the car closer to the hotel, Roger L showed up. He started running the 100 miles but had to throw in the towel. Nice to catch up with him.

I got ready, put on the clothes I would wear and checked that I had everything in my ultra backpack, filled the soft flasks with soft drink and the bladder with water. Stretched.

Got a ride down to Hotel Kullaberg and then Wille would park the car somewhere and hopefully get to the start before the race started. I was walking around the start and saw some familiar runners and talked with them and then Wille showed up

It started to get closer to the start so I I left Wille and got to the start

I would start in the first group and was waiting to get into the corral and also wait for the horse and the pompous music just before the start.

I had said that I would have a great day, no knee issue and I would get out on the second lap and finish this year.

Finally the race began, I realized that I had a good pace from the beginning and was suprised at the narrow part in the beginning that it was hardly any clogging. Here people stop and walk even if it is not even hilly, you can run there and do not need to stop.

It did not take long til the gloves, hat and runner jacket went off, when u get into the nature reserve it gets hilly straight away and u get very warm.

It was a new route this year because the Nimis part had turned into a no-go zone. I tested the new route in October and liked it a lot. It would be off road instead of the Nimis part. It would be interesting how we runners would handle all the narrow parts of the race. I let the faster runners pass me, stood to the side. I am not sure I will do different next year, some runners informed me that they would pass me and then I either stepped aside or kept running since they could pass on one side.

The weather was perfect, the sun was out, it was not too warm or not too cold and not too gooey. Some colleagues from work passed me and said hi and we cheered each other on.

I realized that I still was doing good. I wanted to run the first lap around 3 h and 30 minutes and realized somewhere during the first lap that that would be possible 🙂 So I was hopeful, stopped to walk from time to time because of some challenging hills, need to work on running up those hills next year but the knee did not give me any issues

When I was on my way to the light house, I passed a kid, kids are so spontaneous, how slow she is running, I turned around and said Yes I do. Compared to the runners around me I ran slower but it was ok, the pace was not that bad.

New this year was the rope down the stone part after the light house, that is one of the tricky places where you have a big stone but cannot just climb down, you need to move down trying to find something to grap with your hands and now you could use a rope, went so much faster. Was still hopeful but when it was 3K left the knee started to complain, bummer! Let Wille know that I had to see what would happen with the knee, I might throw in the towel. I hoped that the issue would go away but that did not happen

When I got to the beach where it was a lot of stones, my feet were not happy. Then I heard it was only 600 m left.

Interesting feeling hearing people cheering me on, also Wille who sat on that last part before the loop. and know that  I wouldn’t continue. Showed the official who kept track of us runners, he wanted me to get out on the loop but I signed that I was throwing in the towel.

Even if it did not go my way, I had a great first lap, 3 h and 38 minutes. Now I have to fix my knee issue.

The goal now is to run pain free, the journey has already started with going back to the gym twice a week, Yoga once a week, massage every other week, the calves have been stiff and might be one thing that cause the knee issue or hips

I will be back next year, be able to run pain free and run through the finish line.

Results

 

 

Running Pain Free

I started the year with pneumonia and have been working on coming back after that. Started running in April after a rough cold in February.

During the summer I experiencedissues with my right knee.

Usually I have experienced that and then that issue has gone away but it continued.

Then I decided that I have to run pain free and got in touch with Lisah Hamilton who recommended me to talk with Rich and had a conversation with him. Great talk where I got to think a lot.

What has happened is that I started to commute to Älmhult beginning of 2016 and had to reduce my training to survive, not be able to do Yoga before work.

After Älmhult I started my job in Malmö and still did not do Yoga, could run at lunch time on Mondays either on my own or with colleagues.

Got a new assignment where I felt I could not run during lunch time.

Changed Consulting company, love my new assignment but could not run at lunch time and reduced my gym to once a week.

Have done massage once in a while.

During my talk with Rich it was clear to me that I had to go back to being at the gym twice a week, since I have not been good at stretching this summer, have streched but not long enough, I had made a decision to go back to Yoga again and RIch mentioned massage reguarly. Plus I have decided that I will run at lunch time every other Monday and after work every other Friday after work.

This week I went to my first Yoga class after a long absence and it felt so good. Was a fantastic class for me as a runner, some very good stretches for runners, a lot of planks, the dove etc. I am going to do Yoga once a week and after my race in November it will will be two times the week after to stretch out a lot, which is needed after a tough trail race.

So I have sceduled Yoga next week.

Went to a 30 minutes massage before work this morning and got a good masseur. Both my calves were stiff but more on my left calf, hurt a lot but I can take it, stiff on the back of my right knee and stiff on my right hip.

The masseur gave me a new exercise that involves my foot and suggested foamrolling which I will continue with everyday from tomorrow.

Will continue my journey to run pain free

5.23K Short Run

#69

First rest week before the race.

So after work it was time for a short run.

Decided to wear wool sports bra, wool long sleeve, regular tights, regular socks.

Lately my legs have been wanting to run fast, I should take it easy when it is rest weeks 🙂 but my legs have not listened. So I got up a fast pace from the beginning and had to catch my breath and walk for a short moment. Back to running again and fast pace again, needed to walk for a short moment.

The positive thing was that I did not have any knee issue tonite. I felt some pain in the beginning but it disappeared.

Results

Weight report

Happy with the weight today. This is where I hoped I would be at for the last couple of weeks.

8.29K Night Run

#68

Tonite it was time to run this night run with the headlight that I am going to use on the second lap on the race.

I was suppose to get up to Tjörnarp and run with my running buddy Lars but he could not make it so I decided to find a route out in the country close to where I live. Remembered that I and another running buddy of mine, Eva, we had run a run during the day out in the country where there were no street lights.

I had just run once and was not 100% sure where I would run, found the route on Movescount and studied the map and imported the route to my pulse watch earlier this weekend.

Put on my headlight and reflective vest, thought it was needed.

Started to run, interestering with running at nite is that I can followo the route on my pulse watch without using the inverse light but it goes off very quickly so I had a much tougher time on the bike streets to find the route, had to stop a couple of times to see if I was heading in the right direction.

Finally I find this narrow path between the two fields, pitched dark and now I could finally follow the route due to the fantastic headlight that I invested in last year, Lumonite Air 1500. The light is wide so I can see on the sides and far ahead of me which makes me calm. I also got up the speed when I ran in the dark.

I was glad I decided to wear the reflective vest because when I got out on a dirt road I saw on a distance a car that turned down on this road. With a strong headlight, reflective vest and reflectives on my compression tights the car could see me in the dark.

Felt some pain in my knee at the end of the route otherwise I was fine. Was breathless in the beginning probabaly because I felt the tiredness after the tough trail run this weekend. At the end I had a good pace and could run longer without stopping and walk too much.

Results

Weight report

This was a bummer but hope for better results later this week.

22.03K Trail Run

#67

Some weeks ago we got the PM from Kullamannen and the route had been decided. One week later I read that Länsstyrelsen (=county government) that Nimis would be a no-go zone which meant that the race cannot be at the stone part to Nimis and up Nimis. The people who are arranging this race had a 72h email conversation and had to come up with a new route.

Today it was time to head up to Kullaberg and run this new route, I had plan to run on Kullen this Saturday but now had to run the new route of course.

Got the route from Kullamannen himself.

Took the train and bus up there, put on wool sports bra, wool long sleeve, compression tights, gloves and the jacket I will wear in November. It is colder in the morning and it can be cold in the morning when you get to Kullen. Better to be able to take off clothes if I get too warm then being cold from the beginning and not be able to something about it.

This year they are renovating the harbor where the start and finish has been so the start and finish for the race I am going to run will start at a hotel so I walked up there. Started running, the start will be tougher, it goes uphill very shortly after the start and then I got to the regular part that has not been changed.

It did not take long til I felt too warm and had to take off my jacket. I also realized that I had not attached the water bladder properly and had to stop and fix that too.

It felt good to know that I am so much better prepared. I was running up on some hills and walked on the more challenging or at least tried to run up on them and then have to stop and walk but that is fine with me.

I passed the narrow path where we had run down to get to the stone part that we won’t run down on this year and continued further down on the dirt road and then continued down on another dirt road.

Got down to the water and realized that someone else was also testing running this route, we pulled our heads together to find the path to continue on. This guy had run the same race as me last year and had also thrown in the towel. He disappeared and then I was alone again, was not sure if I was on the right path turned around and now came two other runners who also were testing the new route so we were running on the route together for a moment and then I was on my own. Nice to collaborate to find the correct way. Realized that I now had gotten to the bottom wher the stone part starts but now would get up on that part where we have heading now earlier. It will be a tough part on the race and after that it was off road. I loved it. Got a bit confused but all of a sudden saw a pattern that I could follow.

Thought that I had gotten to Håkullen but was on the top before Nimis.

Then I was back on the regular route again when I had passed Nimis on the top.

I was so happy that I did not have to walk due to a knee issue, only had to walk because I had tired legs or too breathless after running up a hill.

It was a bit windy when I got to the light house and had to take it easy to not blow away.

I was not dressed for the weather but it is not easy to know how to dress, it can be very cold in the morning and then get warmer or stay cold. So I got a bit over warm. I had told Wille that I might not swim in the ocean afterwards but then informed him that meet me at the beach because I am a bit over warm and need to cool down after the run.

Wandered a bit off but it was not too long. I stopped at the beach and probably had 1K left to the finish line. This is going to be a great race this year, am glad not to have this long stone part and love the off road part a lot. It will as tough but more off road and narrow paths. It is going to be interesting how we runners will behave, we will be many who will run and some need to pass from behind because they are faster and how we will deal with that.

Results

Weight report:

Have not been satisfied with my weight this week. Hope that next week will be better.

32.64K Trail Run

#63

Decided that I needed more total altimeter plus it has started to be more cold in the summer cottage.

This Saturday I decided I would run my 40K trail run from Tjönarp to Frostavallen.

Put myself on the train and got out on Tjörnarp train station and started my run.

Realized it was a while since I started from Tjörnarp, most of my trial runs in this area have started from Frostavallen this year.

This can happen sometimes on these trail runs

 

Just needed to find a way around all of these trees laying on the ground.

Needed to take off my windstopper because I got too warm.

When I got to the loop I got totally confused, what had happened. Last time everything was just normal but know they had cut a lot of trees, the area looked completely different. I realized that I had gotten more to the left, thought a path was the path to the loop but turned out that it was not, was wondering where is the loop and all of a sudden it was just in front of my face 🙂 what????? It was totally overgrown, seems to me that this summer has messed things up, now everything is green and this overgrown is usually in the spring but the loop has not been this overgrown before. It was walking in a jungle. All of a sudden I heard voices on the other side and realized for the first time that there were other runners running on Tjörnarparen, which was a first. Later they passed me, one of them would run Tjörnarparen.

I started to have issues with my right knee and had to walk.

Also hunters were out.

I said hello to a little puppy who was out for a walk.

After Osterian I run on a dirt road and then I cross the forest to get to a path, have run here many times, end up getting a bit off track but always find this path but today I got totally brain drop. All of a sudden I was in a forest and did not know where I were, lucky me I had a backup of the route in my pulse watch, after some wandering around I ended up on the dirt road again and told myself to get a grip and take it more slowly this time but ended up off track again, had to get my frustration out and then I finally find the path and continued my run. Realized that I had run 4K extra and had to cut the distance. Would be fine because it would be 4K back to Höör and then I would walk back home which would be some extra k.

This was the most frustrating route so far. Don’t know what was going on. But I think I am just fine before the race in November.

Weight report

Have not been happy with my weight this week so hope for a better week next week