Etikettarkiv: midnattsloppet

Besviken

Jag är besviken på Midnattsloppet som i år har bestämt sig för att sätta ribban ganska högt och utesluta många motionärer. Det gör mig ledsen och jag lär dra tillbaka min anmälan till loppet eftersom kraven på tempo är för höga för att jag skall ha en chans att fullfölja loppet. Man säger själva att man har tagit till ordentligt på löptiden men det stämmer inte alls tycker jag.

På deras hemsida ser man att den långsammaste startgruppen (grupp 7 som jag själv skulle deltagit i) startar 22:40 och man måste ha passerat Fjällgatan innan 23:30 vilket är 7 km från start. Det ger att man måste ha ett snittempo på 7,14 min/km eller översatt behöver man klara milen på 71 minuter eller bättre.

Som första lopp hade jag en del fantasier om att klara det på 75 minuter, nu är jag inte riktigt där ännu men en realistisk uppskattning vore att jag kunde gå i mål på runt 85 minuter om man räknar med att man blir lite extra peppad. Det betyder dock att jag måste passera repet på Fjällgatan ganska precis en timme efter start, dvs tio minuter efter sista tid man måste ha utan att bli tvungen att bryta.

Jag kommer inte på en vecka kunna höja min löphastighet med 20% så jag får lägga ner det här. Det är jävligt trist men eftersom arrangörerna har lagt upp det på det här sättet finns det inga möjligheter att fullfölja och att springa 7 km för att bryta sedan känns bara otroligt tråkigt och då ger jag mig hellre ut i skogen och springer för mig själv i stället.

Ja det var ju bortkastade 340 kronor.

Training Wk 25-27

The training is going well despite the extremely hot weather we are having. I have started my holidays now so my training is done outdoors exclusively since I don’t wanna go into work just to use the gym there.

Wk 25 saw 4 passes all between 2-4 km but wk 26 I ran every day, 7 workouts in total and it was great, the legs felt really good. Of course i ran shorter and easier between the longer tougher runs but active resting seems much better than just not running at all!

By the end of Wk 26 I did my first 10 km ever. It is difficult to tell you how good that felt. It was not a high paced run or anything but just to be able to go on for 10 km without stopping was a big win for me.

Wk 27 had 5 workouts because I had a bit too much other things to do on two of the days but I was pretty happy with that, the Suunto training watch has upgraded me to activity class 8,5 which is very high on the scale but also means I have to work harder in order to maintain the training effect I am looking for. This is an indication that my condition has improved a lot since I started on activity class 7.

The legs need to get stronger, now that the condition is improved it is easy to run out of strength and fuel and in this heat water… I generally do not bring a flask of water when I go running mainly because I don’t like carrying it in my hand and I don’t have any belts or similar for carrying additional drinks with me. I might get that some day but for the short runs I do these days it is generally enough to drink before and after.

But last saturday got me thinking when I tried to repeat the 10 k run I did the week before it just stopped working after 7 km. I was definitely in the zone up to that point but then I started getting into all sorts of trouble and when my right thigh muscles started to cramp up painfully I decided enough is enough and walked back home without pushing my luck.

This week seems to be just as hot and frankly, last nights run was not really cool at all even if I started at midnight it was still hot. Incredible.

Streak Running

Not the same thing as streaking that is, but I have been running every day since Sunday and I am starting to notice results. Condition goes up very fast and now I need to let the muscles and ligaments catch up. I am back at about 6 km and are working my way up to 10 km slowly in low tempo but still jogging. Yay.

7 weeks to my first race!

There are just seven weeks to Midnattsloppet now and I have not been getting the exercise necessary. Time to change all that, there will be some training every day now from short runs to weight lifting, treadmill, forest and asphalt running and not more than 1-2 resting days a week. Together with a better diet and no alcohol what so ever I think it may still be possible.

The demons to fight are excessive food intake, the heat outside as this is the hottest period in Sweden with temperatures reaching 30ºC it is better doing pulse-high activities in the evening rather than in the mid-day sunshine. Such as my 2.1 km run today which was tough but I still felt good after it.

I am currently developing my exercise schedule based on good advice from funbeat.se the greatest training community in Sweden right now.

Midnattsloppet / The Midnight Race

I finally did it!

I have now entered myself into the midnattsloppet race that will take place on Södermalm here in Stockholm on Saturday the 14th august this year. The race is 10 km on asphalt through the summer night in Stockholm. I have been to watch the race a couple of times but I have never even thought I would be in it one day.

Photograph by plindberg on Flickr!

I am in starting group 7 of course, the last people to start jogging and I hope to complete the full 10 km in about 75 minutes.

Entrance fee is 340 SEK.

What have I done? 167 days left to train for it… that’s about 23 weeks. And I will be needing them!