Weekly Results 27th August – Ducks in a Row?

Refuse to be ill. Never tell people you are ill; never own it to yourself. Illness is one of those things which a man should resist on principle.

Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 - 1873)

The last few hundred metres, approaching the last kink of the last lake, the cafes and the tunnel under the road to go home. I had run a steady lap of all lakes, and with the wind behind me for the last 3k, was building to a strong but controlled finish.

The last kink. Under 300m to go, I usually count the steps from here. About 85 double paces that take me along the final straight. The crowds go wild.

15 steps into it, a sharp twang in the left leg. B****r! I slow down instantly and it disappears – it only came for one step, a reminder that perhaps I am still having ‘waterfowl alignment issues’ - maybe all my ducks are not yet in the row they should be.

I run home slowly. No pain at home, or the next morning, just a slight stiffness in the left leg. Is that the injury or is it just stiff from running 54k over the course of a week – 5 runs in total?

It is the DHL 5 x 5km relay on Thursday, and I am running in 2 teams – 1^st in one team and 4^th in another. My company has 50 teams participating – I have challenged a guy who works in the same firm but I have never met, to race the first lap if he is also running first in his team. He came in 13 seconds behind me in the Havneløbet and has a reputation as a fast runner. There are 3000 teams on each of Monday – Thursday; our company teams are starting in the first wave on Thursday – they start 250 at once, a minute apart. So if it goes to plan, I and this ‘colleague’ will be among the first to complete a lap.

So time to do a bit of rowing and no running before Thursday and hope that one step was that. There is also the Christianshavnermilen next Monday, and a 6k race around Kastellet the Thursday after. If I get away with the DHL run, I will do those 2 events but no other running for 2 weeks. If not then it will be rowing only for a few weeks and hope it gets better soon.

The rest of the week’s runs were good. A fast 6.1k on Monday – just the first 3 lakes and back home again, in 23 minutes and something. The Injury Run on Tuesday; on Thursday a 17.6 km circuit in 1 hour 11 minutes, based on the Injury Run but incorporating the dog leg along the Langeliniekaj where the cruise ships moor. From Kastellet, I headed north along the elevated walkway, up to the ice cream shop at the end and a small lighthouse. Approaching the ice cream shop, several thousand Americans were on the roadway below, having just been disgorged from one of the larger ships. I overtook and rounded the lighthouse, only to head straight back at the crowd. Fortunately they were well behaved to stick in something resembling a line, which I cut back across and back to the elevated section.

Then the injury run on Saturday and a lap of the lakes on Sunday. 53.8km total, my first week over 50k since before the last marathon. But it looks like it is time to re-incorporate other sports into the schedule – after all if I’m not fit I’m not going to run any more marathons at all, let alone any under 3 hours. The 20km of rowing I did this week as a warm up / warm down exercise (2k before and after each run), and the 40-odd km of casual cycling to work and around town are just not the same thing as a ‘proper’ row or cycle.

Distance run this week: 53.8km

Distance run to date: 301.8km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 0km

Distance rowed to date: 55.3km

Weekly Results 20th August – and another Thing To Consider

First of all the official Havneløbet result – 38:08. I was 28^th out of the men, plus 3 ladies beat me. So 31^st overall out of about 550. Pretty good!

I only ran 3 times this week – the Havneløbet, then a 17km run on Thursday and a 14.6 this afternoon. The 17k was the injury run plus all the lakes, in 1 hour 10 minutes – the 14.6 was my now-standard ‘Injury Run plus 2 lakes’ – and ended up being a personal best by 6 seconds. It wasn’t meant to be, as I’d been out at a friend’s birthday party last night until 5am, so it was really just a run to get a few more kilometres in. The first 10k were a little slower, but the lakes, and in particular the last 2k stretch back home, were quicker than usual.

I went for a walk this morning with the aim of getting some Kastellet photos – to write a proper ‘Guide to Running Kastellet’ post – but the place was packed with serious-looking walkers, clad in their trendy gore-tex and clutching maps. It was the start of the ‘Walkathon’ (there are some pics of Kastellet on that site) – and a sign stated that you could only access the fortress from the opposite gate until 6pm in the evening. So rather than fight my way through the crowds, I’ll do it another day. Just as well I saw it as otherwise I would have run straight into it - I waited until after 6 for my run.

Thing To Consider No. 3 is that I am actually doing pretty well with the training! After a slightly slower than anticipated recovery, I am now getting on for 50k a week, and the runs are reasonably quick and comfortable. There is no need to push things at this stage and risk injury – so far in August I have done 111km – in March 2005, the corresponding month before my marathon record in May that year, I only managed 90km – and I’m pretty sure the runs did not feel so good as they do now. Another 50k week to come this month and I’ll easily be over the 150k I had in mind at the start of the month. So let’s just keep taking it smoothly!

Distance run this week: 47km

Distance run to date: 248.0km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 0km

Distance rowed to date: 55.3km

I haven’t done any rowing this week, but have increased my pre- and post-run rows to 2k each (used to be 1k each). Warm-up rowing does not count in the above as usual.

A 10K race – the Mini-Cooper Havneløb

For the Danish-ly challenged, myself included, the name of this race is ‘The Mini-Cooper Harbour Run.’ ‘Mini-Cooper’ as they sponsor it, ‘Harbour Run’ because…errr…it goes more or less near the harbour.

The start was opposite the office at ten past seven – I had planned to stay a bit late at work and then just stroll across the road at 7 and start, but decided to go home and change instead – then I had a 2.7k warm up and cool down run at each end, over to Kastellet and half a lap of it to the start by the Gefion Fountain. Running over the Langelinie bridge on my way, the 5km runners were passing underneath – other pedestrians (podestrians?) on the bridge probably thought I was late to the start, or lost!

The course was fairly tricky, having a number of tight corners. The first 2, at about 50m out from the start and about 100m after that, were particularly nasty, being less than 90 degrees. I had a front row starting position and decided to sprint off the start and round them ahead of the pack, slowing down to a steadier pace later. This worked well, and entering the first straight along the harbour front past the office, I was in the top 10.

That didn’t last though as the stiff headwind and my steadying pace took effect, and over the next 2km or so I was overtaken by a number of people who had no doubt had to fight their way around the first 2 corners. That was fine – I settled down for the ride.

At about 2.5km I was passed by a runner in a yellow T-Shirt, and decided that was about my pace – he would be a reference point about 10 – 20 metres in front. Between the 1st and 4^th KM posts there was a tail wind, as we doubled back on ourselves, went back past the other side of the office, around the outside of Kastellet – not on the nice paths but along the road – and met the headwind again at the Langelinie Marina at KM4. Past the boats and the Little Mermaid and on to lap 2 – lap 1 completed in 18:56.

I slowed a little in the second lap but not a great deal – taking 19:14 and giving a time overall of 38:10. Seeing as I can’t actually remember any previous 10K times, this is officially my record! From KM7 onwards my splits got better as I reeled in the yellow T-Shirt, overhauling him just before the KM9 marker and finishing well in front.

At the finish, they were handing out various Mini-branded goodies. I’m sure the car cleaning pad-thing I was given will come in handy for cleaning my 2 bikes. I ran back home slowly along the ramparts of Kastellet, watching the remaining runners on the harbour path below on their way past the Little Mermaid and over the bridge to the fountain at the finish.

Splits as follows:

KM1 – 03:39

KM2 – 03:47

KM3 – 03:50

KM4 – 03:49

KM5 – 03:49

KM6 – 03:56

KM7 – 03:52

KM8 – 03:51

KM9 – 03:49

KM10 – 03:44

A pretty solid 03:49 per KM average.

A couple more runs – Podestrians, the 2nd Thing To Consider - Weekly Results

Two more runs to round off the week – one on Friday, where instead of going straight out after work, I went out later in the evening. Being the week’s duty dog means that you shouldn’t get wildly drunk incase you have to run off and sort some problem out on a ship off some distant shore. A good thing every now and then (the bit about not getting wildly drunk I mean).

So a lap of the lakes on Friday evening, in 35 minutes 21 seconds – slower overall than last weekend’s, but with a fast ‘return leg’ along the 5 lakes. Then a repeat of Wednesday’s 14.6km run on Sunday afternoon. It is a great course, which I think will become a standard run leading up to Dublin – just over a third of the marathon distance in about an hour at the moment. This time I managed a ‘green light run’ – the entire distance without having to stop at traffic lights. There are only 3 road crossings on the course that have lights, but here in Denmark there is a 600 kroner fine if you cross on red. So you generally stop at them unless you are pretty sure there are no policemen about.

The run itself was deceptive. It had been raining all morning and showed every sign of continuing that way, but outside it was warmish – low 20’s I’d guess, and the humidity was high. As I got to Kastellet, the sun came out and the air quickly warmed up. The grass and pavements were steaming gently and it was not conducive to breathing properly.

That having been said, according to my new watch, the splits were pretty well spot on – or within 1 or 2 seconds - of Wednesday’s run, if not a bit faster. I slowed a little around the park at Østerport, and on starting the final run back along the outside of the first 3 lakes, about 2km in total, I was on exactly the same overall time as Wednesday. However the last 2km were into a headwind, and it soon started raining again – I ended up some 40 seconds slower.

Rant for the week are ‘Podestrians.’ I’ve no idea if this delightful word has been around for a while, but I first read it recently in a newspaper somewhere. It refers to pedestrians with headphones in general, and iPod users in particular. Now, Copenhageners are pretty trendy people and a huge number of them are Podestrians, or even Pod-cyclists, which I reckon is a bit more hazardous. And their sheer numbers are making them a Thing To Consider, not only while running but also when walking or cycling around town, which I happen to do rather a lot.

Take for instance a near-miss with a female Podestrian today. After the rain, puddles have formed on the paths around the lakes, and in places cover most of the path, so you have to step to one side to get round them. A finely-shaped blonde, walking in the same direction as I was running, was approaching such a puddle in front of both of us. With her favourite tunes on, she didn’t seem to see the obstacle until the last minute and, not being able to hear even my heavy footfall behind her, suddenly switched direction directly into my path to the left of the puddle and not all that far in front.

Left of the path was a tree, and it was a pretty narrow gap between puddle and tree. Before anyone gets unduly excited, none of the following occurred:

a) Lake Runner dodges left and runs straight into the tree

b) Lake Runner dodges right, through the puddle, and covers blonde Podestrian in mud.

c) Lake Runner could not stop in time and runs straight into blonde Podestrian, and has to stop to apologise and in so doing gets her phone number and a date for next Thursday.

But all of them were possible, except probably the last bit of c), which is why I try to dodge them.

I am not sure what can be done about them. Podestrians, however annoying, unfortunately have as much right to be out enjoying the open air as much as everyone else, and indeed it is to be encouraged. Copenhagen would be a much less scenic city if blonde Podestrians all sat in the safety of their flats. They are just a ‘Thing To Consider.’

So the Weekly Results – now beginning to look pretty respectable:

Distance run this week: 45.2km

Distance run to date: 201.0km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 8km

Distance rowed to date: 55.3km

I’ll aim for about the same this week – I don’t want to push the leg too much yet, especially as things are ticking along nicely at the moment.

The injury run plus 2

A day off after the Christianshavnermilen, in which I now know I came 16th out of 530-odd and 5^th in the 20-29 age group, and I decided to go for a slightly longer run – the injury run plus 2 extra lakes, or 14.6km in total. It would be a steady run, not aiming for any over-exertion, as the leg injury appears to be getting behind me.

I set off to Kastellet – a warm evening, with that great light you get when, although it is dark grey clouds overhead, it is bright white light on the ground. The royal yacht in the harbour, the red houses within Kastellet, and the moat overhung with trees, were all thus spectacularly illuminated.

There was nothing to complain about either as I headed towards the small park at Østerport – aside from a brief call on the duty phone from a Captain who found himself slightly delayed in a Norwegian port – and I found myself maintaining a comfortable pace past the State Musuem for Art and up to the start of the lakes.

The lakes went so well that I forgot to take split times, and came back along the outside of the first 3 at a good speed. One runner on the second lake was quickening his pace as he heard me approaching – I had spotted him about 250 metres ahead at the start of the 3^rd lake and was steadily winding him in. I drew alongside, ran in step for a few seconds; he then fell pretty quickly behind. It has been a while since a run has felt so comfortable – I reckon I looked good past the cafes and romped home in 59 minutes 36 seconds.

Christianshavnermilen August

The first Monday of the month, and it is time for the Christianshavnermilen again - 7.532 km around 'Christianshavn,' a part of Copenhagen. It is an old Danish mile. My usual running date, Brunch Girl, was injured and getting ready for a trip overseas so I ran this one solo.

I'd only done one Christianshavnermilen before, when I was earlier on in the recovery, so my time of 28 mins 54 seconds was 2 minutes faster than last month's. An average speed of 3 minutes 51 seconds per km was pretty respectable! Unlike last month, due to roadworks we did not go around the Opera House and along the waterfront, but wended our way through the backstreets until getting back to the lakeside path (not my lakes) for the last 3.

It was not so hot as last time and aside from a headwind in the 4th km, the conditions were pretty favourable. So all in all pretty pround of myself - the last 3.5 km were pretty steady, with a slight build to the end. I knew I was running fast and for the last 2.5 km was wondering when it would kick in and I would have to slow down and watch the others overtake...as it turned out that didn't happen and I carried on overhauling people right up to the line. A great feeling!

Splits were:

KM1 - 3.47
KM2 - 3.53
KM3 - 3.45
KM4 - 4.06
KM5 - 3.49
KM6 - 3.48
KM7 - 3.46

The last 532 metres took 1 minute 54 seconds, which according to my maths is 3.35 minutes per km.

Weekly results 6th August... OK I know it was yesterday...

After a week off for the Kilifi Fireballs - in which Don and I came 2nd in 'The Fish' by a single measly point, it was time to get cracking on the training again.



I didn't get back to Denmark until late on Monday evening, and it was Wednesday before I went for my first run - a nice lap of the 'injury course' at 10.8 km. No problems at all, very sweet if still hot.

Thursday saw me hot-footing it back to the UK for my little brother's Stag Party in Newcastle, so that was that for the running for a few days. The party was so good that I missed my flight back on Saturday afternoon, and was only back in town on Sunday afternoon. Time for a quick lap of the lakes with my new running watch...so for the first time I can get accurate times on my runs, and even deduct traffic light time by using the split function. Woweee...this is a revolution in my running career. I took splits around each of the lakes, and at some point will sort out PBs on this blog. Anyway my end time (excluding waiting for the one road crossing) was 35 minutes 3 seconds which, being my only time yet, is officially my PB for the 8.5km run for now!

Distance run this week: 19.3km

Distance run to date: 155.8km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 0km

Distance rowed to date: 47.3km

I'm aiming for about 150km total in August, and with no more overseas trips planned for now, it might be possible.