Since Kullamannen beginning of November I have had a hard time heading out on a longer run.
First weekend I felt that I was on my way to catch a cold and decided to not head up to Frostavallen, the second weekend it was raining so I ran a shorter run on the treadmill. Last weekend I was in London with my consulting company and ran a 5K morning run on Friday.
Now it was time to head out on a longer run and decided to run my city trail run. Was not sure if I would run the short version or the long version.
It was snowing yesterday but I felt it wouldn’t stay and it was raining during the night.
Cold, grey and drizzle when I started. My knee felt good.
This summer when I got to the long uphill road in the neighborhood my legs refused to run up that road but today I made it all the way 🙂 Felt so good. Not breathless either.
Before the first hill part I ran close to the fields and it was gooey, something told me I might expect the same when I got to Klosterängens höjder (Klosterängens hills) and oh boy, say the goo and also realized that it was slippery so I had to walk up and down some hills there but then I could run on the dirt road down and up.
So I decided that I wouldn’t run up the second hill part, instead make a detour to get around 17K.
At 13K I started to feel pain in my right knee but this time it was not at the back, it was at the side so I decided to walk shortly.
During the last part of the route I got issues in my right thigh and groin and was forced to walk some more but I was satisfied with the route.
Ran up all the way on the road in the neighborhood for the first time
Ran 13K before I ran into issues with my right knee, wonder if the gooey slippery part made me walk ”funny” which caused the issue
For the last couple of weeks I feel that I am getting there, running pain free. Hope that more gym, Yoga and massage every other week will do the trick.
After two trail runs from Christinehof to Haväng it was time for a run on Kullaberg for the first time after the race last year in November.
This year I have decided to run the ”Double Death”, two laps, have run the ”Death Zone” which has been one lap. This year two laps will be an ultra, it will be at least 44K.
The original plan was to take the train from where I live 7.58 am to Helsingborg and then bus to Mölle, I would gotten up to Mölle 9.58 am, long ride but yesterday Fredrik from CKR informed on FB that he would drive and asked if anyone else wanted to join and we would leave the same time as the train but would get up earlier. So I was interested. Amanda also wanted to join us with her dog Irma. We three ran up there in October last year. Then Fredrik would leave later so then Amanda, Irma and I left 7.45 am this morning from my home.
Nice with company and I talked with Amanda about our run, last year Irma, the dog, was with us and when we came to Håkull she just froze, I am not moving one more mm, Håkull is no game for humans, loose soil, steep, you are basically crawling up trying to hold on to something.
It was suppose to rain after lunch but the first thing that happened when we stepped out of the car and got ready, I asked Amanda if we should try to find a place to get under and wait out the rain but then it stopped after a short time.
There are some hills that I have to mentally decide to run up, they are not short but today I walked up on some hills that I should be able to run up later, will be more hilly training this Fall.
Good that I can follow the route because the race follows the orange marker but then turn down in the woods and when I am training it is easy to run down to soon so it is better to stop sometimes to get down at the correct place, when the race is, it is wellmarked.
After a while you come down to the coast and have a very rocky part, it is just stone stone and loose stone and today it was very slippery, Irma, the dog was struggling.
When we got to Nimis we got confused, it must have had something, Nimis was burnt but it also seemed that the environment has changed, got too far to the left where Irma had a tough time but we find the right way later.
When I was going to run down to Håkull, Amanda and Irma would take another route since Irma would refuse to move up and I understand her fully. We said goodbye.
I continuned down to Håkull and had my worst fall ever, slipped on a stone, fell on my butt, hit my left elbow and right hand, swore but got up and was a bit crippled.
Håkull was tough today, wet, slippery and I could not use my right hand and had to depend on my left, you need to move up and try to grip something with your hands to not fall down and when it is slippery it is tougher. I finally made it up the first part and then you have to find a narrow path moving up the second part where the best thing is to walk up a bit and check if I am follow the path and adjust. Was on the right track but still got into the juniper part, got a bit off track but find where I would continue.
The worst part of this race is the rocky part which can be very slippery in November, up after Nimis and around Håkull, that can change every year but is very steep.
Got off track a couple of times.
When I was on my way to the lighthouse I passed Fredrik and Maria and said hi.
After the lighthouse there is a steep part you have to get down, not good being crippled, needed to use my right hand but could only use my left hand so I had to take it very easy.
Then you start to see Mölle, it is 4k left after the lighthouse and not so advanced.
Started with long sleeve, it got off because I had a hard time breathing and after the lighthouse I ran in my sportsbra to get more air.
Then I finally made it, Wille drove me to the beach so I could take a swim.
After the swim we shared a shrimp sandwich before we drove home
Distance: 21.21K, time: ,4.47.38.8 h, average heart beat: 137, average pace: 13.33 min/k, max pace: 5.26 min/k, cadence: 142, VO2 Max: 26 ml/kg/min
#49 – 50 runs in 100 days – Keep Running edition
#50 – 50 runs in 100 days – Keep Running edition
Woke up 4.30 this morning to eat breakfast, pack the last things and bike to Nova to be picked up by Marcus who would drive to Mölle. I was so glad that Marcus wrote on FB in our running group that it would be more fun to not drive alone. Beginning of this week I did not have any ride and had decided to take the train and bus to Mölle which takes 2 hours and yesterday a dead bord caused train chaos that wouldn’t be solve til lunch today so I am not sure how it would have gone today if Marcus hadn’t asked for company.
We were 5 in the car and we got there around 7.44, Maria would start at 8.50 and the rest of us would start at 9 am. It was cold and we decided to head down to the harbor to get bibs. Some of us already had our bibs and then we would go back to the harbor and get changed for the race.
At 8 am it started to rain and I thought oh no don’t say that it will be rain all day long but then, lucky me it stoppad.
This year they have changed it to different start times, last year the ultra runners started at 7 am and we who ran Dödens Zone (the death zone) started at 8 am which meant some clogging. This year the Dödens Zon started at 8.30, 8.40, 8.50 and 9 am.
I had put the wind stopper in a dry bag in my ultra back pack just in case I would get soaked
In the beginning it was a narrow path where someone of course started walking so the rest of us had to walk.
When I ran this route in October the lazy me was in charge, walked early on the hills but I had decided today that I would run on most hills except the challening ones like Nimis and Håkullen.
After a while you get down to the coast where there are 600 m stones that you have to walk on (some ultra runners passed us and they had another pace) and these stones were really slipper today, I was glad I did not sprangle my feet, I was surprised that I did not injured myself during this stone part and finallåt I came to Nimis and even Nimis was slippery.
After that it was flat for a short time and then Håkullen came where they had rerouted the route and it was very steep upwards but definately an interesting new part.
The first 10K are definately the worst part of the race, you have some steep down hill part which were gooey so I was gliding and could have injured myself there too.
In the beginning I was among the last in the group that I belonged too but during the stone part and Nimis I passed some runners.
I got a bit angry sometimes, in a nice way, when the ultra runners passed me and had a much faster pace and look so fresh 🙂
My legs were really tired after 10K but then I had Lars ”the devil” in front of me who pushen me forward and also another not so pleasant evil devil e who pushed me forward in another way (to get some steam off me)
Finally I got the light house where I met the main organizer of this race and this was my last chance to run this ultra race (60K) but was glad I did not run this year, next year it will increase to 160K (100 miles) and I asked him if he could make the Dödens Zon a bit longer and more altitude, he then informed me that 2001 it was 500 m more altitude, now we’re talking 🙂
160K is too long for me.
After the light house it is only 4K left and they feel much lighter. There is a tough part just after the light house but after that I feel the finish lite close.
I was not in the same shape this year, have gained 9 kg but finished with 3.35 according to my pulse watch, the result is not out yet
Distance: 20.65K, time: 3.35.21 h, average heart rate: 153, average pace: 10.26 min/k, max pace: 6.47 min/k, cadence: 150, Vo2 Max: 30 ml/kg/min, asc: 826 m, desc: 832 m
This race was definately the Death Zone or the Hell Zone this year but the rain stayed away, a little tiny rain during those last 4k’s but did not bother me
