#4 – 50 runs in 100 days – Winter edition

4 years ago the running group I belong to – Coach K Runners got challenges by Actic Kista or the Krutgubben (”Powder man”) Jocke to participate in a 6h treadmill battle which means that 12 runners are running each 6 h on the treadmill between 10-16.

Of course we wanted to participate, the first year we got outclassed, the second year we were very close to win and last year we won but this year we lost again.

I decided to participate, me who hate to run on a treadmill, who does that anyway, and then for 6h, am I insane or what?

This training has not been the best, due to a new job beginning end of February, commuting to Älmhult for 3 months, really destroyed my training and other changes (not negative) so I am not in the same shape as last year so it was also to make a decision if I would run Tjörnarparen, an ultra race that I really love.

So yesterday I was getting together most of what I would bring with this morning to Actic Olympen

My goal was to run at last 50K and to be able to do that I had to have an average pace of 7.20 min/k so I decided I would start at 6 min/k and maybe have to reducera the pace during the day and still be able to make it.

First 3h I was just fine, got to 27K but then I ran into some issues that forced me to walk from time to time.

Some said it is easier to run on a treadmill, more gentle ?

It seems to me that just because you run so similar and it is no change in environment it gets tougher, first of all I got very tired at the bottom of my feet and neck and lower back got punished.

More walking during the last 3 hours because of a prosting calf and ache in lower back, the last 1 h and 20 min I ran 700 m with a pace of 6.40 min/k and walked 300 m but for the last 5 min I got extra energy and ran with a pace of 6 min/k.

I was ready to throw in the towel, was very bored at the end, all the good candy was gone, had to drink Red bull, earlier had changed to compression socks because of tired calves.

Distance: 48.5 K, time: 6h, average heart rate: 143, average pace: 7.13 min/k, max pace: 5.57 min/k, VO2 Max: 37 ml/kg/min

Am amazed at myself for managing to run 48.5K, almost 50K.

Now I aching in my front thighs, back thighs, calves, neck, back and other places but proud of myself for pulling this through and also impressed with this incredible gang

We pulled together 491.1K.