I made a bet with a friend. The looser buys the winner a dinner at Chez Dominique. Perhaps the best fine dining place in the country. Two Michelin Stars. Ranked as the 56th best restaurant in the world by The World's 50 Best Restaurants.
Basically I'll have to finish with a faster time than him, or I'll have to cough out 400 € at the end of the dinner. Let's see how this motivates us.
I've been busy writing a novel, which has taken away some spare time from running. It's not finished yet, and it's a priority. This is going to be fun. I'm receiving bull shit messages from him all the time, telling me how hard he is training. I believe I can beat him though. I don't think he'll have the stamina to keep going through all winter. (Unfortunately I don't have it either)
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Race Report - Espoon Rantamaraton (half marathon)
Rain, rain, rain.
Race day was a really wet story this year. Rain pouring down all day. We had a chilly +9 degrees celicus with rain, rain and more rain. Some two thousand runners met up to run along the coast line of Espoo. I was among them. Not very well trained. Only 30 km of running in the past two months. I was expecting something around 2:10 to 2:15. My muscles were still hurting from previous trainings run, too hard paced previous training runs. I ran an 8k training run at sub 2h pace and realized I wouldn't stand a chance at breaking the 2h threshold. So what about race strategy and pacing for this one?
Well, I felt I really had nothing to loose. My previous personal record of 2:06 seemed too tough to break on a day like this. But as I had seen the trouble to get there, despite the weather. Why not have some fun with it? I decided to do a totally stupid thing, and go for a sub 2h finish, no matter what. If I'd fail, so what. Then I'd actually learn something, instead of just jogging along with a more reasonable goal and learn nothing. So I beeped the virtual racer on my Garmin to 5:47 min/km pace and went to get my bib and goodies.
People were waiting indoors for the start. So did I. One hour of boredom, observing fellow runners. All equally stupid. Who in their right mind would go out and torture themselves on a day like this? I had some time to think about "why the hell I'm doing this" along the course.
I went out in the rain way too early as it had slipped my mind that there would be two starting groups - and that I would be in the second one, starting fifteen minutes after the first group. It was a bit confusing when they closed the starting grid just as I were to approach and run off. Instead I did gymnastics, or something remotely like it, to keep warm. It was pouring down and I was soaked well before the pistol went off for the second time.
Off we go. I tried to line up pretty much in front, with the 2h rabbit. The rabbit took a faster pace, so I let go of the 2h crowd and instead held a steady 5:47 pace. Better not be in the crowd, as it's a pain at water stations to fight for the drinks, wasting precious energy.
The run was tedious and boring. The pace was too fast for me, in my current condition. At ten kilometers the run started to become a psychological fight with myself. Legs hurting, lungs burning, heart racing. I had to convince myself over and over again, that this is reasonable, I'm totally sane, it's about challenging oneself, and stand up to the challenge, to grow and develop. At sixteen kilometer the pace was killing me. I oscillated between hope and despair. Digging deep to find more fighting spirit. I held on to the 5:47 pace for surprisingly long. Actually starting to believe I could finish sub 2h.
Then we hit some uphills at around nineteen kilometers. I was f***ed. I just couldn't press on at the same pace anymore. My steps slowed down. God, everything felt so heavy. But I dragged along with sheer willpower. I had a minute to spare, as I had actually made sure earlier to speed ahead of the virtual racer going at precisely 5:47. Would it be enough. We hit the last water station close to the Nokia headquarters. I slowed down, and downed two cups of sports drink. I sped up, or rather tried to speed up. Impossible! It just didn't work. No matter how hard I was pressing myself the virtual racer overtook me. I kept going though, hoping for a downhill or some kind of impossible surge of power. Didn't happen. Instead we hit the last uphill. I glanced at my Garmin. The virtual racer was almost a full minute ahead. So I let go. I switched to walking.
I walked up the hill, happy with myself, happy with the run. I wouldn't brake 2h today, but I'd get a new PR. So why keep pushing to the limit, when I'm doing this for health. I took the last bit easy, and finished in 2:03. Surpassing my own expectations. A new Personal Record. Job well done.
The post race coffee, tasted better than any coffee in a very long time - maybe the best coffee ever. A hot cup between cold, almost immobilized, hands - sipping that hot black gold. Loved it. I stuttered into the public shower. Ripped of my soaking wet, dripping, clothes and tugged them all into a plastic bag. The total weight of the bag was probably around 6-8 kg. Shit! Without all that extra weight I would probably have managed the last push and finish under two hours. I'll do that next time, if providence agrees.
Race day was a really wet story this year. Rain pouring down all day. We had a chilly +9 degrees celicus with rain, rain and more rain. Some two thousand runners met up to run along the coast line of Espoo. I was among them. Not very well trained. Only 30 km of running in the past two months. I was expecting something around 2:10 to 2:15. My muscles were still hurting from previous trainings run, too hard paced previous training runs. I ran an 8k training run at sub 2h pace and realized I wouldn't stand a chance at breaking the 2h threshold. So what about race strategy and pacing for this one?
Well, I felt I really had nothing to loose. My previous personal record of 2:06 seemed too tough to break on a day like this. But as I had seen the trouble to get there, despite the weather. Why not have some fun with it? I decided to do a totally stupid thing, and go for a sub 2h finish, no matter what. If I'd fail, so what. Then I'd actually learn something, instead of just jogging along with a more reasonable goal and learn nothing. So I beeped the virtual racer on my Garmin to 5:47 min/km pace and went to get my bib and goodies.
People were waiting indoors for the start. So did I. One hour of boredom, observing fellow runners. All equally stupid. Who in their right mind would go out and torture themselves on a day like this? I had some time to think about "why the hell I'm doing this" along the course.
I went out in the rain way too early as it had slipped my mind that there would be two starting groups - and that I would be in the second one, starting fifteen minutes after the first group. It was a bit confusing when they closed the starting grid just as I were to approach and run off. Instead I did gymnastics, or something remotely like it, to keep warm. It was pouring down and I was soaked well before the pistol went off for the second time.
Off we go. I tried to line up pretty much in front, with the 2h rabbit. The rabbit took a faster pace, so I let go of the 2h crowd and instead held a steady 5:47 pace. Better not be in the crowd, as it's a pain at water stations to fight for the drinks, wasting precious energy.
The run was tedious and boring. The pace was too fast for me, in my current condition. At ten kilometers the run started to become a psychological fight with myself. Legs hurting, lungs burning, heart racing. I had to convince myself over and over again, that this is reasonable, I'm totally sane, it's about challenging oneself, and stand up to the challenge, to grow and develop. At sixteen kilometer the pace was killing me. I oscillated between hope and despair. Digging deep to find more fighting spirit. I held on to the 5:47 pace for surprisingly long. Actually starting to believe I could finish sub 2h.
Then we hit some uphills at around nineteen kilometers. I was f***ed. I just couldn't press on at the same pace anymore. My steps slowed down. God, everything felt so heavy. But I dragged along with sheer willpower. I had a minute to spare, as I had actually made sure earlier to speed ahead of the virtual racer going at precisely 5:47. Would it be enough. We hit the last water station close to the Nokia headquarters. I slowed down, and downed two cups of sports drink. I sped up, or rather tried to speed up. Impossible! It just didn't work. No matter how hard I was pressing myself the virtual racer overtook me. I kept going though, hoping for a downhill or some kind of impossible surge of power. Didn't happen. Instead we hit the last uphill. I glanced at my Garmin. The virtual racer was almost a full minute ahead. So I let go. I switched to walking.
I walked up the hill, happy with myself, happy with the run. I wouldn't brake 2h today, but I'd get a new PR. So why keep pushing to the limit, when I'm doing this for health. I took the last bit easy, and finished in 2:03. Surpassing my own expectations. A new Personal Record. Job well done.
The post race coffee, tasted better than any coffee in a very long time - maybe the best coffee ever. A hot cup between cold, almost immobilized, hands - sipping that hot black gold. Loved it. I stuttered into the public shower. Ripped of my soaking wet, dripping, clothes and tugged them all into a plastic bag. The total weight of the bag was probably around 6-8 kg. Shit! Without all that extra weight I would probably have managed the last push and finish under two hours. I'll do that next time, if providence agrees.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Helsinki City Marathon - Race Report
Never got to the starting grid. Life got in the way. Or the flu killed my participation. I think I could have managed a sub 4:30h finish. Maybe..
Instead I missed a month of running. Lost a lot of fitness during that stubborn flu. Espoon Rantamaraton coming up in a week. It's a half. I don't think I have a chance to beat my PR from May. There simply isn't enough time to regain the lost improvements. I've been out on my feet twice since I got healthy again.
Lesson learned?
Don't run your longest and hardest training run of the season the day before you go on a two day bachelor party / booze party. That just doesn't provide you the necessary recovery. And if you do, don't go on a five day kayaking trip the week after. Especially not one where you are paddling from dawn to dusk. And if you do, don't guide foreign visitors through all the local sights during three full consecutive days. And if you do, don't train kayak rolls in a cold baltic sea without a wet- or drysuit. And if you do, make sure you are in better shape than I was. If you totally wear yourself out, you will get sick if there are viruses around.
Hopefully I'll be able to publish a full race report from the Espoo Rantamaraton half marathon instead.
Instead I missed a month of running. Lost a lot of fitness during that stubborn flu. Espoon Rantamaraton coming up in a week. It's a half. I don't think I have a chance to beat my PR from May. There simply isn't enough time to regain the lost improvements. I've been out on my feet twice since I got healthy again.
Lesson learned?
Don't run your longest and hardest training run of the season the day before you go on a two day bachelor party / booze party. That just doesn't provide you the necessary recovery. And if you do, don't go on a five day kayaking trip the week after. Especially not one where you are paddling from dawn to dusk. And if you do, don't guide foreign visitors through all the local sights during three full consecutive days. And if you do, don't train kayak rolls in a cold baltic sea without a wet- or drysuit. And if you do, make sure you are in better shape than I was. If you totally wear yourself out, you will get sick if there are viruses around.
Hopefully I'll be able to publish a full race report from the Espoo Rantamaraton half marathon instead.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Trail running: Montrail (part of Reitti 2000)
(This posting was written two weeks ago, but due to laziness with photo editing / uploading the publishing has been delayed)
Last weekend I headed to Noux National Park for some Trail Running. Something I’ve wanted to do for at least a year already.
Last weekend I headed to Noux National Park for some Trail Running. Something I’ve wanted to do for at least a year already.
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| WTF am I doing? – Oh Yeah! I’m going to run 35km on the trails just for fun! |
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| Natan, the Go Green Hippie Hedgehog, didn't reach mature age |
Bus number 345 from Helsinki City will take you to the trails. I rode all the way to Skogby, to run on route 2000 (reitti 2000) from there on. The route spans a total of +100 km from the central park in Helsinki, including the loop in Espoo and Vihti. My plan for this day was to run/walk some 30-40 kilometers, a shortened part of the loop. The full loop, also called Montrail, measures approximately 55 km.
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| After 30 minutes I started doubting the whole thing. I was sweating like a pig. You can see the sweat dripping from my face. |
Sometimes the trail wasn’t marked very well, I ran past a turning point - thrice. So I would recommend bringing a map, and a compass. I did. It’s not optimal to get lost with a dizzy head, out of energy with very limited equipment, at +30km out in the woods.
After finishing, a slightly shortened run, I could finally kick off my shoes and rip of my sweaty, bloody clothes (stained from mosquito kills), to skinny dip in a lake. Refreshing! I grilled two sausages on open fire, to fill up my empty stomach. After some relaxing silence and stillness I headed towards the bus stop.
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| The full specs are available at Garmin Connect |
All in all I’m pleased with run/walking 34,6 km in 5:03. The nature along Route 2000 isn’t really that spectacular (there are much better scenery out there in Noux). There were hoards of mosquitos biting me as well. I was a bit surprised by the constant up- and down hills. The total elevation gain for this part of the route was 760 meters. The Montrail, indeed, makes for ideal training ground for Vaarojen Maraton, or similar trail running events (even for mad ones like the Goretex Trans Alpine Run). It was tough at times. But, it was well worth a little pain. You get your head straight and your soul rests, out there in the woods. I’m heading back next weekend, with wife and dog.
Some day, maybe next spring/summer, if providence agrees, I might do my Ultra debut here - finishing the entire 55km loop.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Major improvement
This morning I ran to work. Like so many days before. Except today was different. I was running below my MAF (Maximum Aerobic Funciton) heart rate of 148 bpm. Nothing exceptional there. I run mostly at or below MAF. But today was different. The pace reading on my Garmin oscillated around six minutes per kilometer, sometimes dropping well below six minutes. I've gotten used to seeing it oscillate at around seven minutes per kilometer. So I realized today was different.
I was running faster than ever.
I ran trough the calm summer morning with a silent joy in my heart. A conviction that there is some justice in this world spread trough me. You can't bluff yourself in running. You can't evade work and reap the benefits of others labors. You can't rely solely on your talent. You have to go the extra mile yourself. And when you do, you don't get instant results. You have to do it over, and over, again. Patiently. With persistence. There is something beautiful, and just, in it. You reap what you saw. It's an ancient truth, blurred by our complex urban environments. In running it's clarified. And when you see those inches of success. It strengthens you. You have been strengthening your body. And you find out your mind is strengthened along with it.
Keep doing those good things. And good things will follow. Stop doing them, try to take shortcuts, violate yourself, your environment, or fellow human beings - and bad things will follow. This truth is clarified in running. For life in general, it's the same - although blurred.
I was running faster than ever.
I ran trough the calm summer morning with a silent joy in my heart. A conviction that there is some justice in this world spread trough me. You can't bluff yourself in running. You can't evade work and reap the benefits of others labors. You can't rely solely on your talent. You have to go the extra mile yourself. And when you do, you don't get instant results. You have to do it over, and over, again. Patiently. With persistence. There is something beautiful, and just, in it. You reap what you saw. It's an ancient truth, blurred by our complex urban environments. In running it's clarified. And when you see those inches of success. It strengthens you. You have been strengthening your body. And you find out your mind is strengthened along with it.
Keep doing those good things. And good things will follow. Stop doing them, try to take shortcuts, violate yourself, your environment, or fellow human beings - and bad things will follow. This truth is clarified in running. For life in general, it's the same - although blurred.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Barefoot (at last)
Yes. I have done some running barefoot. Inspired by Paljasjalkamatti. I was passed by this Finnish Barefooting Pioneer at the local half marathon mass event Helsinki City Run. It put the wheels in my mind turning. Then a few days later it happened. I kicked of my shoes while walking the dog. It felt good. The nasty sharp gravel from last winter hurt, of course, but other than that it felt truly liberating. Some days later I kicked off my shoes while walking in the woods. It felt really good. Except for those nasty ants that decided to chew on my feet. Ouch!
A few weeks later, while at our summer cottage in Ostrobothnia I went out for a random run and ended up at the local horse track. No horses were out running. The surface seemed so smooth, yet hard enough. I made sure nobody was there observing me. Off went the shoes. I ran two laps. Damn. It felt good. I tried to run all the way back to our cottage barefoot, but had to give up as the sharp gravel was painfully piercing my soft untrained feet.
The following day I went back for more. I did five laps (that's five kilometers). Putting the shoes back on felt like putting on a condom half way trough a moment of sweet love. I don't like shoes anymore. It seems that I'm slowly turning into a barefoot junkie. When I came back to Helsinki I just couldn't help myself. I called the Finnish importer of Vivo Barefoot shoes. He has run out of stock twice already this spring / summer. Anyway, he told me where I had the best chances of finding a pair. So I went shopping. Now I'm logging miles in a pair of Vivo Barefoot Ultras. And it feels good.
I don't like my "normal" cushioned Asics anymore. The heel drop feels awkward. It gives me a forward tilt I've never noticed before. My shins feel a lot better already, after I've substituted some miles in traditional shoes to minimalist barefoot shoes.
Thank you Paljasjalkamatti for the inspirational example. And thanks to Christopher McDougall. Born to Run was no small influence in preparing my mind for this pleasant switch towards a more natural gait.
Peace over Caballo Blanco. I hope the world will remember him for all that he was, and wasn't.
Thanks to Dr Phil Maffetone as well. Who has propagated for more minimalist shoes for decades already. Sowing those mental seeds into my mind trough his excellent Big Book of Endurance Training.
Barefoot running. Who could have imagined that happening at the outset of this adventure?
A few weeks later, while at our summer cottage in Ostrobothnia I went out for a random run and ended up at the local horse track. No horses were out running. The surface seemed so smooth, yet hard enough. I made sure nobody was there observing me. Off went the shoes. I ran two laps. Damn. It felt good. I tried to run all the way back to our cottage barefoot, but had to give up as the sharp gravel was painfully piercing my soft untrained feet.
The following day I went back for more. I did five laps (that's five kilometers). Putting the shoes back on felt like putting on a condom half way trough a moment of sweet love. I don't like shoes anymore. It seems that I'm slowly turning into a barefoot junkie. When I came back to Helsinki I just couldn't help myself. I called the Finnish importer of Vivo Barefoot shoes. He has run out of stock twice already this spring / summer. Anyway, he told me where I had the best chances of finding a pair. So I went shopping. Now I'm logging miles in a pair of Vivo Barefoot Ultras. And it feels good.
I don't like my "normal" cushioned Asics anymore. The heel drop feels awkward. It gives me a forward tilt I've never noticed before. My shins feel a lot better already, after I've substituted some miles in traditional shoes to minimalist barefoot shoes.
Thank you Paljasjalkamatti for the inspirational example. And thanks to Christopher McDougall. Born to Run was no small influence in preparing my mind for this pleasant switch towards a more natural gait.
Peace over Caballo Blanco. I hope the world will remember him for all that he was, and wasn't.
Thanks to Dr Phil Maffetone as well. Who has propagated for more minimalist shoes for decades already. Sowing those mental seeds into my mind trough his excellent Big Book of Endurance Training.
Barefoot running. Who could have imagined that happening at the outset of this adventure?
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Race Report: Helsinki City Run 2012
The first running event of the year. Helsinki City Run is a Half Marathon race run trough the parks of central Helsinki. 17.000 participants of which some 12.000 finished. It's a mass event, and very well organized in my opinion.
I decided to take a warm-up bike ride to the starting area. Some thirty minutes and 7 km's later on the bike I arrived at the olympic swimming stadium, where I stored my excess clothes. You need a 50 cent coin for the locker by the way. I didn't have one. I took the risk of falling pray to an easy steal. I couldn't imagine anyone would actually steal my sweaty jacket and pants. I had plenty of time so I decided to take a leak in the stadium toilet. There was almost no que, so I could afford to let by a guy from the first starting group. I was in the second starting group with the gun going off at 15:10, the fastest group would start at 15:00. There are five groups by the way.
Lining up in the grid. I had an event specific playing list prepared for my iPod as I would be running solo this time. There goes the gun. With a few minutes left to the start of the second group I fired up the music. Eye of the Tiger? Nope. Quite the opposite. I Shot the Sheriff, Bob Marley - followed by Flowers on the Wall by the Statler Brothers. The music was meant to mellow me out, make for a relax and easy start. That was the strategy for this race, to take it easy the first half, and then possibly push for a negative split towards the end.
Off we go. Jogging the first kilometer in a tight crowd with Faith No More's Easy ringing in my head. Followed by Bob Marley's Redemption Song. There the sun comes out from behind the clouds. It's getting warm. I have to trip the arms from jacket. The first five kilometers are really nice and easy. After that I start to feel the uphills, slowing down a bit not to get too much lactic acid moving at this point. At nine kilometers the going is still fairly easy - although my heart beat is up at around 170-175 bpm. I pass the ten kilometer mark at roughly one hour, or to be more specific 1:04:23.
At this point my playing list is geared toward more rhythmic and upbeat music like Yeas Sir, I Can Boogie and Get On. I realize at this point that I can easily keep up this pace for the remainder of the run. So I decide to increase the pace and let my heart rate drift up towards 180 bpm. At around 12 km I'm very well zoned out in a bliss flow mode of eating kilometers. I startled by some guy running past me shouting something. It takes me a second or two to realize he is commenting my shoes. I look down at them, has my lace ran open? Ok, he's wearing the same pair. I get it. He was complementing me of my choice of shoes. I grin back at him and blurt out something. I don't remember what but it takes me out of the effortless zone.
At 15 kms I start to expect support from my family. I can't spot them anywhere where I supposed them to be. I feel a bit demoralized, they didn't bother showing up. I keep going though. And then, out of the blue, there they are. My wife and our Dachshund puppy. The dog is super excited and starts to run along. I try to bow down and pet it while still jogging. That doesn't go well. My wife jogs along looking at the dog. That doesn't go well. She runs into a tree. And they disappear behind me. I feel a bit reinforced by the support anyway. She manages to tell me Gothoni (a friend, and running buddy) isn't very far ahead of me, and that he looked a bit tired. So I push on a bit harder. Eating that distance with my feet.
Somehow I find the zone again, and carry on with Man On The Edge, Run to You and Heaven is on Fire fueling my spirit. Baby don't stop, take it to the top is blasting from the headphones as I push on past some beaten runners on an uphill stretch. My heartbeat is at or beyond 180 bpm by now. I can feel the lactic acid in my legs. But there's nothing to worry about, I know I just have to endure the pain and push forward.
At 17 kms, after the last water station, I think that I should try to push faster. So I do. Infinite Dreams, We Are the Champions and The Show Must Go On pushes me forward along the paths. Oh God, I really start to feel the pain now. I some people walking, and it is tempting.. But I made myself the promise not to walk in this race. It's ok to slow down, but not to walk. I'm closing in on a big uphill right now. Honestly I don't know if I have the strength to run it.
Iron Maiden comes to my aid with Flight Of Icarus.
His eyes are ablaze.
See the mad man in his gaze.
Fly, on your wing.
Like an Eagle.
Fly as high, as the sun.
On your wing, like an eagle.
Fly.
Touch the sun.
Having this piece of art kick in at that point of the race, it actually gave me the chills, and a ton of fighting spirit. And I flew up that hill. No problem. After the hill, I kicked in another gear again. Uphills or not. I keep increasing speed towards the end. Run To The Hills kicks in before the last uphill. That's a misfire. Thanks iTunes, for counting the total time wrong. And then I'm out of music. I'm past the breaking point already - so there is no risk of giving in anymore. I just chew trough that last uphill and curve in trough the gate to the Olympic Stadium.
There's a big screen displaying the names and times of finishing runners. And there are quite a few spectators inside the stadium cheering on the runners. That's a nice touch to a race. A stadium finish. I don't do any full out sprint at the end. Didn't consider it beneficial to put my heart under the additional stress just to shave off a few seconds.
I grab my goodies. And zip back the arms on my jacket. Down a few sports drinks. Shovel in a small bag of potato chips and some kind of yoghurt and half a banana. Then I'm off to check out if somebody has stolen my clothes. They are still there, so I grab them and head for my bicycle. On the 7 km bike ride home I start to feel really tired. I check my heart rate it's around 140 bpm. That last bike ride felt tough, but I guess it was good for my recovery. Today I feel fresh again, but am not going out for a run - just yet.
I'm pleased with the 2:06:24 and a negative split. But can't help wonder. Could I have breached 2 hours? I believe I could have kept going for 2-3 kilometers more, at the same pace I finished the race. I'll never know. But until next time, I'll put in more miles and then, at the next race, I'll dig a bit deeper to see if I can find more mental resources.
I decided to take a warm-up bike ride to the starting area. Some thirty minutes and 7 km's later on the bike I arrived at the olympic swimming stadium, where I stored my excess clothes. You need a 50 cent coin for the locker by the way. I didn't have one. I took the risk of falling pray to an easy steal. I couldn't imagine anyone would actually steal my sweaty jacket and pants. I had plenty of time so I decided to take a leak in the stadium toilet. There was almost no que, so I could afford to let by a guy from the first starting group. I was in the second starting group with the gun going off at 15:10, the fastest group would start at 15:00. There are five groups by the way.
Lining up in the grid. I had an event specific playing list prepared for my iPod as I would be running solo this time. There goes the gun. With a few minutes left to the start of the second group I fired up the music. Eye of the Tiger? Nope. Quite the opposite. I Shot the Sheriff, Bob Marley - followed by Flowers on the Wall by the Statler Brothers. The music was meant to mellow me out, make for a relax and easy start. That was the strategy for this race, to take it easy the first half, and then possibly push for a negative split towards the end.
Off we go. Jogging the first kilometer in a tight crowd with Faith No More's Easy ringing in my head. Followed by Bob Marley's Redemption Song. There the sun comes out from behind the clouds. It's getting warm. I have to trip the arms from jacket. The first five kilometers are really nice and easy. After that I start to feel the uphills, slowing down a bit not to get too much lactic acid moving at this point. At nine kilometers the going is still fairly easy - although my heart beat is up at around 170-175 bpm. I pass the ten kilometer mark at roughly one hour, or to be more specific 1:04:23.
At this point my playing list is geared toward more rhythmic and upbeat music like Yeas Sir, I Can Boogie and Get On. I realize at this point that I can easily keep up this pace for the remainder of the run. So I decide to increase the pace and let my heart rate drift up towards 180 bpm. At around 12 km I'm very well zoned out in a bliss flow mode of eating kilometers. I startled by some guy running past me shouting something. It takes me a second or two to realize he is commenting my shoes. I look down at them, has my lace ran open? Ok, he's wearing the same pair. I get it. He was complementing me of my choice of shoes. I grin back at him and blurt out something. I don't remember what but it takes me out of the effortless zone.
At 15 kms I start to expect support from my family. I can't spot them anywhere where I supposed them to be. I feel a bit demoralized, they didn't bother showing up. I keep going though. And then, out of the blue, there they are. My wife and our Dachshund puppy. The dog is super excited and starts to run along. I try to bow down and pet it while still jogging. That doesn't go well. My wife jogs along looking at the dog. That doesn't go well. She runs into a tree. And they disappear behind me. I feel a bit reinforced by the support anyway. She manages to tell me Gothoni (a friend, and running buddy) isn't very far ahead of me, and that he looked a bit tired. So I push on a bit harder. Eating that distance with my feet.
Somehow I find the zone again, and carry on with Man On The Edge, Run to You and Heaven is on Fire fueling my spirit. Baby don't stop, take it to the top is blasting from the headphones as I push on past some beaten runners on an uphill stretch. My heartbeat is at or beyond 180 bpm by now. I can feel the lactic acid in my legs. But there's nothing to worry about, I know I just have to endure the pain and push forward.
At 17 kms, after the last water station, I think that I should try to push faster. So I do. Infinite Dreams, We Are the Champions and The Show Must Go On pushes me forward along the paths. Oh God, I really start to feel the pain now. I some people walking, and it is tempting.. But I made myself the promise not to walk in this race. It's ok to slow down, but not to walk. I'm closing in on a big uphill right now. Honestly I don't know if I have the strength to run it.
Iron Maiden comes to my aid with Flight Of Icarus.
His eyes are ablaze.
See the mad man in his gaze.
Fly, on your wing.
Like an Eagle.
Fly as high, as the sun.
On your wing, like an eagle.
Fly.
Touch the sun.
Having this piece of art kick in at that point of the race, it actually gave me the chills, and a ton of fighting spirit. And I flew up that hill. No problem. After the hill, I kicked in another gear again. Uphills or not. I keep increasing speed towards the end. Run To The Hills kicks in before the last uphill. That's a misfire. Thanks iTunes, for counting the total time wrong. And then I'm out of music. I'm past the breaking point already - so there is no risk of giving in anymore. I just chew trough that last uphill and curve in trough the gate to the Olympic Stadium.
There's a big screen displaying the names and times of finishing runners. And there are quite a few spectators inside the stadium cheering on the runners. That's a nice touch to a race. A stadium finish. I don't do any full out sprint at the end. Didn't consider it beneficial to put my heart under the additional stress just to shave off a few seconds.
I grab my goodies. And zip back the arms on my jacket. Down a few sports drinks. Shovel in a small bag of potato chips and some kind of yoghurt and half a banana. Then I'm off to check out if somebody has stolen my clothes. They are still there, so I grab them and head for my bicycle. On the 7 km bike ride home I start to feel really tired. I check my heart rate it's around 140 bpm. That last bike ride felt tough, but I guess it was good for my recovery. Today I feel fresh again, but am not going out for a run - just yet.
I'm pleased with the 2:06:24 and a negative split. But can't help wonder. Could I have breached 2 hours? I believe I could have kept going for 2-3 kilometers more, at the same pace I finished the race. I'll never know. But until next time, I'll put in more miles and then, at the next race, I'll dig a bit deeper to see if I can find more mental resources.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
One year into the challenge.
One year ago I went out running, for the first time in a long time. It was about time to get active, to get fit, healthy and slim down a bit.
That wasn't the main reason to get up from the couch though.
No, the real reason was, that I had an idea planted in my mind. I was challenged by a friend to do something quite daunting. I was challenged to train myself fit for an eight day trans Alpine run. And I had eighteen months to accomplish it. I decided to "just do it".
One year into the project I have some perspective. I was hit by reality in the head a few times during the past year. First I broke my arm. Then I over trained. I did a death march on the trails and killed my left knee. It recovered though. Then I cracked my shin bones, running on hard surface in a pair of running shoes way past their retirement date. Time and rest healed them.
To put it short. Nothing went as planned.
I've learned a lot about running during the last year. And something about patience and perseverance as well. I've put in a lot of effort. I've ran 1.352 kilometers. I've skied 175 kilometers. I've biked 260 kilometers. I've swam 12 kilometers. I've rowed 26 kilometers. I've burned some 150.000 kilo calories. And I've seen all the progress made wiped out over and over again. That is a humbling experience.
So what are the lessons learned so far?
1. Stay injury free. You need consistence in training for consistent results.
2. Be sensible, don't over do it. It's important to be able to enjoy the training, after all that's 99 % of the experience. And if you over do it, you will have setbacks of some kind - be it injury or loss of motivation.
3. When you get slapped in the face by destiny, don't take it personally, don't make it an excuse to give up.
4. Never give up. Give it more time if needed. Be more graceful towards yourself if needed. But never give up. You'll never get there if you give up.
I'll keep it up. My second half marathon coming up in a month, Helsinki City Run 5th of May. This time I have no time goals, no fixed training schedules. My only ambition for this one is to enjoy the training and the experience. I'll get to the trans Alpine starting grid too, if providence agrees. Not in 2012. Maybe in 2014.
That wasn't the main reason to get up from the couch though.
No, the real reason was, that I had an idea planted in my mind. I was challenged by a friend to do something quite daunting. I was challenged to train myself fit for an eight day trans Alpine run. And I had eighteen months to accomplish it. I decided to "just do it".
One year into the project I have some perspective. I was hit by reality in the head a few times during the past year. First I broke my arm. Then I over trained. I did a death march on the trails and killed my left knee. It recovered though. Then I cracked my shin bones, running on hard surface in a pair of running shoes way past their retirement date. Time and rest healed them.
To put it short. Nothing went as planned.
I've learned a lot about running during the last year. And something about patience and perseverance as well. I've put in a lot of effort. I've ran 1.352 kilometers. I've skied 175 kilometers. I've biked 260 kilometers. I've swam 12 kilometers. I've rowed 26 kilometers. I've burned some 150.000 kilo calories. And I've seen all the progress made wiped out over and over again. That is a humbling experience.
So what are the lessons learned so far?
1. Stay injury free. You need consistence in training for consistent results.
2. Be sensible, don't over do it. It's important to be able to enjoy the training, after all that's 99 % of the experience. And if you over do it, you will have setbacks of some kind - be it injury or loss of motivation.
3. When you get slapped in the face by destiny, don't take it personally, don't make it an excuse to give up.
4. Never give up. Give it more time if needed. Be more graceful towards yourself if needed. But never give up. You'll never get there if you give up.
I'll keep it up. My second half marathon coming up in a month, Helsinki City Run 5th of May. This time I have no time goals, no fixed training schedules. My only ambition for this one is to enjoy the training and the experience. I'll get to the trans Alpine starting grid too, if providence agrees. Not in 2012. Maybe in 2014.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Injured and Sidelined: Double Stress Fractures
The combination of using running shoes with more than 900 kilometers on them and a hardened surface (due to freezing) trashed my legs. I got stress fractures in both of my tibia (shin) bones. The fractures gradually worsened in November and December. I did my last run on December 7th, back and forth to work totaling 20 km. I could feel the pain while running and started to feel really sore even walking. The state of my legs finally dawned on me when our dog stepped right on the fractured spot. Auch! Intense pain!
I had to take some time off from running.
I’ve been swimming a couple of times and snowboarding and skiing on a vacation in Lapland. I even had a one hour session on a stationary bike last week. Not enough to keep my fitness level though. The Polar OwnIndex has declined from a good 58 to a measly 50. I’m not getting the consistency in training that I should get. To get back on track I bought a pair of new running shoes and enrolled for the Helsinki City Marathon. First street marathon coming up in August 2012! I’m also enlisted for Helsinki City Run (Half Marathon) on May 5th. So it’s about time to start logging mileage again! On Sunday I’ll try out my legs and new running shoes in the Esport Ratiopharm Arena in Espoo.
Hopefully we’ll get a serious snow cover in Helsinki someday soon! I’d really like to cross train cross country skiing as it’s a lot of fun. And it’s easy on the limbs and bones. I saw some skiers in action already on the nearby golf course this week. Back then I suffered from a stomach flu and really couldn’t do anything more than short walks with the dog. Unfortunately we had rain and the tracks melted away since then.
A few steps backwards and none forward.
The good thing is my motivation is peaking again. I can’t wait to get aerobic action! I feel the recent low activity level and it doesn’t make me feel good. The addiction is real. Mind and body craves momentum.
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