Snow Patrol

Well it has been a while and there are no doubt lots of good reasons for that, but here I am. Things are going well - I ran 101km in January, and am on course for a slightly higher total in February. Nothing too strenuous - no running two days in a row, and I have slowly built up to one long run (17km last week) a week, and a couple of shorter ones.

It will soon be time to run consecutive days, but with 2 months still to go before London, I am 'proceeding with caution' - then there is Copenhagen 4 weeks later. My 2 home courses!

Today's run was a snow patrol - 8km through the few inches of snow that have fallen over the day. Unlike last winter, we have not had much this year, so I had to get out there today. It is still snowing now, so maybe I'll repeat it tomorrow. Aside from being a great feeling, it is probably also good as it forces you to take things a little slower...though that notwithstanding, I had to speed up to overtake another runner on one lap of the first lake. One day I'll learn...

Week 2 results...still here...

2 laps of the lakes and a double loop of Kastellet provided 24.25km this week - a little ahead of target, but I thought the laps of Kastellet were a kilometer shorter than they actually are...


The leg / hip appears to be fine, a little stiff but nothing a good stretch doesn't sort out, and less stiff after each run than the previous one.

Distance run this week: 24.25km
Distance run to date: 43.55km
Distance rowed this week: 13km
Distance rowed to date: 21km

Here we go!

So the first week of the year - and the Lake Runner is slowly getting himself together for the next 5 months' running.

Not a great deal to report - a lap of the lakes on Thursday, with minor hip twinges and very stiff legs afterwards, but that was probably just as I haven't run for a while. Then a the 10.8 lap of the injury run today - all going swimmingly until my fast-paced finish saw me virtually fall down the stairs of the underpass at the end of the lakes, and slightly twist my ankle...on closer inspection it seems like no serious damage was done, and as I'm only running twice or three times a week right now anyway, I should be OK by the next time...

Distance run this week: 19.3km
Distance rowed this week: 8km
Distance cycled this week: 0 km

It's good to be back!

1001 kms - the Lake Runner is back

Well 2006 is at an end. The sun has set outside and the fireworks are already getting started. Danes like their fireworks.

So what has the Lake Runner been up to since the end of October? Well I am back, but only just. I took a break from running and joined a local rowing club, the 'Danske Studenters Roklub,' instead to keep fit (Being neither Danish, nor a student, and a long-lapsed rower, we'll see if I manage to stay there!) See DSR for details...mostly in Danish...

The swelling in the hip did not go away. I ran the grand total of 6k in November, and in mid December, heard I had a place in the 2007 London Marathon. It was time to get sorted out, so I toddled off to Anders the physio again on Wednesday, who subjected me to a massage, acupuncture, and told me to go running to see how it was.

On Saturday I duly set off on a tour of the first 3 lakes - 6.1km, which went pretty well. No undue pain, though my hip had been 'tickling' ever since the massage. That left me on 991km for 2006 with 1 day left of the year. 2005's total was 1033km.

There was only one thing for it - though even I drew the line at running a marathon on the last day of the year - I had to get above 1000km. The injury run would do it...so this morning, the injury run it was. It also seemed appropriate to end the injury year with the injury run. Off I set in bright sunshine for Kastellet, and my first run there since September. It was unusually crowded with walkers and a few other runners, and very windy - I set a wind-assisted PB of 6.34 from home to the ramparts on the way. Things slowed up after that though, with the wind and my recent lack of running kicking in. And of course I am taking it easy until 100% fit again...as usual.

So the Kastellet laps were done, then on to the park at Østerport, and the lap of the first lake, which saw the 1000km mark met. Since October, winter has come to the lakes - though with the mild temperatures so far, the 'No skating on the ice' signs are a little optimistic. We have barely had so much as a decent frost so far. But the trees have lost their leaves, the paths are wet, and people are wrapped in winter coats and furs. I was really feeling the fact that I have not run recently by this point, but got round the 10.8 km anyway in a not unrespectable time of 45.10.

I'll start counting for marathon training from the 1st January - these first 2 runs were just 'proving runs.' And I will take it easy to start with - the hip is not 100%. I'll start with a maximum of 20km per week and see how it goes.

2006 summary:

94 runs, 1001.8km, average 10.65 km / run (2005: 95 runs, 1033.7km, average 11.2km / run)

10 races:

3 x half marathons
2 x 10k's
2 x Christianshavnermilen (7.5k)
1 x 6k
2 x 5k's

Not bad going for a year with numerous injuries...let's hope 2007 is smoother.


Races coming up:

Nike Marathon Start up - 10k February
Nike Marathon Start up - 15k March
Nike Marathon Start up - Half marathon April 15th
London Marathon - April 22nd
Copenhagen Marathon - May 20th

Away!

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The Lake Runner is not running at the moment.

Will be back towards the end of the year.

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Dublin looking doubtful - Weekly Results 15th October

I rested for the entire week, until Saturday at least, when I went for a run on the treadmill in the office gym. I took 6km – deciding that would be a moderate start, and I could then build up there as fast as I felt able – it might be possible to get another 50-odd km in before the marathon.

It was the first time I had been in the gym – I am not normally a gym person. Not hungover after a moderate night on Friday, I went in morning to see how it was. One of my colleagues was on the other treadmill, and after a little row and some time working out how it all worked, off I went. It was pretty dull and surprisingly tiring as I went off at 14.2km/h – 3 hour marathon time – I thought these things were meant to be slightly easier than the real thing?

Anyway it was fine, took it up a little in the last km, cooled down and stopped. Cycled home, had a shower, and my hip hurt and was slightly swollen. Back to taking it easy - think the diagnosis of the tendon rubbing is accurate. Nothing to do but rest it.

I think Dublin is now out of the question – even if my injury gets better in time, I have down the grand sum of all of 20km in the last 3 weeks – so despite having run a series of personal bests in September, it would not be very intelligent to go for marathon. A couple of months off, and I’ll start again mid-winter. Meanwhile it is back to tramping round the lakes and parks, and cycling – a 40km ride on Sunday, around Amager Fælled, caused no problems. I’ve only been there once before, for the Ørestadsløbet in the July, where I had to race from the airport to get to the start. Looking at it from the leisurely post of my bike, it looks a great place to run – no traffic (the very end is a nature reserve) and a series of trails of different distances. It’s a little way away from home, but when the leg gets better, I’ll try it every now and then.

Meanwhile this will stop until the next campaign starts. I’ll keep fit-ish and be back for next year. I didn’t manage a marathon this year, but 10 shorter races is not bad either. And for the record I am only 50k short of last year’s total – so that might be match-able as well!

Distance run this week: 6km
Distance run to date: 444.1km
Distance cycled this week: 40km
Distance cycled to date: 264km
Distance rowed this week: 0km
Distance rowed to date: 77.3km

No better - Weekly Results 8th October

Well it has been a frustrating week. The pain in the hip took some days to go away, and even now it is there from time to time. I have not done any running – the aim will be to do a little next weekend and see how things are.

I did manage to get some cycling in though – the thrash up the coast to Helsingør of ‘Hamlet’ fame – which I also discovered is exactly one marathon length from my front door – well it is if you go past the station a couple of hundred metres and stop on the quayside – a picturesque spot, overlooked by the castle and from where you can admire the old town, the harbour and its ferries, and look across the narrows to Sweden.

And I also discovered that when the wind is from the south, it is much easier to get from Copenhagen to Helsingør (1 hour 30 minutes) than it is to get from Helsingør to Copenhagen (1 hour 40 minutes, but the first particularly exposed section of coast was incredibly slow!)

Distance run this week: 0km

Distance run to date: 438.1km

Distance cycled this week: 85km

Distance cycled to date: 224km

Distance rowed this week: 0km

Distance rowed to date: 77.3km