Various runs, Weekly Results 24th September

In line with last week’s aims, I have put in a few more km this week – 61.6 to be exact, making my longest distance week while training for Dublin, and all various variations of the ‘Injury Run.’ The leg has been fine, though I have acquired a bit of pain in the right hip joint…well I now have 5 days’ off as I will be in West Africa until Friday, and won’t take the trainers…force myself to rest a bit, before the Powerade half marathon next Sunday, and the last Christianshavnermilen the Monday afterwards.

The runs this week have been 17.0km on Monday – Injury run plus 2 lakes, 19.2km on Wednesday – as for Monday’s but with an extra lap of Kastellet and a dogleg past the office, the 10.8 km Injury Run on Saturday (the now- standard Saturday morning hangover run), and the 14.6 km Injury Run plus 2 lakes today – in which I comfortably beat my record to finish in 57 minutes, 55 seconds – almost 2 minutes faster than the last one. And it felt fine!

I watched part of the Berlin Marathon this morning – a couple of friends have gone there to run it. A shame Gebreselassie didn’t quite manage the record – 1 minute and 1 second out, having been within the record time at the 35km mark. Being an ex-Kenyan of sorts, I’d rather the Kenyans held it, but Gebreselassie was looking good to take it – running the last 10km solo can’t have been easy.

I ran it somewhat more slowly in 2004, actually my slowest marathon time (3 hours 41), having not trained a great deal – I had had a minor injury and a cold in the month leading up to it. Well things are looking OK now, despite the injury scare at the end of August, so hopefully they will continue in that way up to Dublin. I’ve now run 415 km since I was meant to have run the Copenhagen Marathon, of which 103 are this month and 185 were last month.

The aim now is a few days’ off, then 2 ‘big weeks’ in the start of October – starting with Sunday’s half marathon. Then the wind down and Dublin right at the end of the month.

Distance run this week: 61.6km

Distance run to date: 415.6km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 0km

Distance rowed to date: 77.3km

I have made a bet with a German colleague for a crate of beer that I can cycle to Hamburg from here within 2 days. Neither of us knew how far it was at the time – but I have since checked and it is ‘only’ about 350km if you go south and across the ferry from Rødby. Should be easily possible – just need to find a suitable time to do it!

The physio, various runs, Weekly Results 16 September…

Well it has been a while, so the last couple of weeks’ activity will be summarised in this post.

After Kastelløbet, I took time off. The leg seemed fine, but having had a close shave with injury, I took advantage of a long weekend at my brother’s wedding, and did not return to Denmark until Tuesday evening.

Wednesday morning saw me at the door of the physio – Anders Madsen. Now I have a suspicion of all things doctor / physio / whatever related, as I am not ill. Going to such people means you are sick! However this one had been recommended, and having incurred the same injury several times over the last year, it seemed worth a shot. We went through the ‘symptoms’ and concluded it was a strain deep in the muscle – not tendonitis, shin splints or stress fractures. Anyway it was massaged, ultra-sounded and finally acupunctured.

These treatments are all pretty alien concepts to me, but Anders was busy explaining them. Ultrasound can assist in breaking up scar tissue, though it didn’t seem like there was any. If it got worse, there is a more serious version available. Acupuncture tells the brain to release cortisol, which helps to repair muscle. It was all in the price anyway so seemed worth a shot. Finally I was shown some stretches to build up strength in the calf, and told that I could carry on running if it was comfortable (well I knew that!) and that I should start off by taking it easy, and gradually build up.

So that was that. I can thoroughly recommend it!

It was time to start off by taking it easy. That evening, I warmed up and went for a long lap of the lakes. Waiting to cross the road between the 4^th and 3^rd lake on the return trip, with 2k to go, a runner set off at a fast pace. I was stuck among other people crossing the road, and when I broke free of the crowd was some 20m behind. I went to catch up.

The runner sped up accordingly. ‘Take it easy,’ I reminded myself, and sped up too. Near the ‘near end’ of the 3^rd lake, I drew level. The runner said something in Danish, and after clarifying my non-Danish speaking status, I asked if he was training for Berlin in a couple of weeks – the Danes are the largest non-German contingent at that event. He was, and was aiming for 3.15 – inline with my record. We ran on, fast. At the first lake, I opened up for my final 800m; the other runner didn’t quite match it, but we both did a very quick finish, and I broke my record for the approx 2k distance, in under 8 minutes. Nice to run with someone of similar standard, even if I was meant to be taking it easy.

I ran 3 more times last week – 6.1 km around the first 3 lakes on Thursday, and the 10.8km Injury Run on each of Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s was a ‘hangover run’ and my slowest yet – combination of strong headwinds in one direction, and my pounding head meaning I did not take advantage of the downwind legs, gave me a time of 47-odd minutes. Much better on Sunday, when I was only 10 seconds behind my record at 43.35 after what felt a comfortable run.

Not sure if all that is qquite taking it easy, but I have to do a certain kilometreage if the Dublin marathon is going to be a good one…this coming week I am aiming to get a good distance in, as the last week of September I have a business trip to West Africa and will not be running much. That can be the ‘taking it easy’ part.

Weekly results to 16^th September – this covers 2 weeks:

Distance run this week: 42.2km

Distance run to date: 354.0km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 12km

Distance rowed to date: 77.3km

Normal updates will resume this week…

The Leg of Steel?

A week’s rest since the DHL relay, an appointment with the physio for next week, and the purchase of a calf support. How would things go?

Today was ‘Kastelløbet’ – a 6k race, 3 laps around the Kastellet ramparts with the start and finish in the middle of the fortress. At the 2 gates, instead of running over the top of them on the level, we descended down the ramps and back up the other side, so we had a few inclines. One day this will be better explained in the ‘Lake Runner’s Guide to Kastellet,’ but for now here is a pretty uninspiring pic of one the ramps. It's really not that big!

In a nutshell, this is as close as it gets to a race on my home ground – there are no ‘around the lakes’ races. Given the injury I vowed to take it easy despite this advantage.

I met Brunch Girl in the office and we walked across to the start. Girls went first and did a 2 lap, 4k circuit while the boys watched and politely applauded at the gates. I tested the leg by running from one gate to the other – a couple of hundred metres via the direct route through the middle of Kastellet. Brunch Girl got round in 22.30 and then it was my turn.

Off we went – a sprint across the parade ground in the middle as I didn’t want to be stuck in the crowd when we got to the narrow path at the top. A couple of tight corners and up the ramp we went. I led the pack at the top, but settled back into a decent pace and a few people overtook until I found my place. Still it was good up there, a course I know like the back of my hand and the best weather for a week, sunny but cool, with a stiff breeze. I loped along within easy sight of the leader as we zig-zagged back and forth along the ramparts. Not a squeak from the leg.

By the end of the first lap, things were comfortable apart from the ramps. I wasn’t sure if the guy behind was gaining or losing, but I kept my place. By half way, the front runners were strung out and I found myself running alone. Great when you got to the gates as you got applause ‘just for you.’ By the start of the third lap, I began lapping some stragglers. The ramps were really sapping my energy though, and it felt much harder than a usual run of that length – hard to believe that my regular run when living in Hong Kong had been a straight climb for 1km from the start until it levelled out.

So around the third lap, then straight through the middle of Kastellet and a double back to the finish. The ‘Leg of Steel’ had held up! Crossing the line, the Danish commentator had trouble pronouncing my name. I think I was somewhere in the top ten, with a time of 23.08. So much for taking it easy.

The guy behind me who never quite caught up came and said something in Danish and we shook hands – Brunch Girl told me he had said he was fed up with looking at my arse. I wondered if I got a prize for being the first foreigner – Danish lessons perhaps?

Splits as follows:

KM1 3.44

KM2 3:43

KM3 3:56

KM4 3:59

KM5 4:01

KM6 3:44

I will have a few more days off now, as I will be going to the UK for my brother’s wedding, until next Tuesday. Seeing the physio on Wednesday, then hopefully marathon-training can re-start in earnest.

What happens next?

So here I am, injured again. I have had a little exchange with Aaron of the ‘Complete Running Network’ here and will update there as things go. I am not mad this time. There are 2 months to go before the marathon.

Point No 1) See a physio. Marathon Sport, around the corner from me, recommended one – and I will go next week. I already have an appointment, which is further than I have ever got before.

Point No 2) Row. I did a 7k row today for example. I’ll keep fit and strengthen the leg until I am running again.

Point No 3) Don’t stop running altogether. I bought a calf support today. Walking around the flat to try it out, it feels good. I’ll try it on the 6km Kastelløbet – 3 laps of Kastellet ramparts – on Thursday evening, which have the added advantage of never being more than a few hundred metres from my bike to wobble home on, if I leave it at the office.

Dublin? Well it is not out of the question.

Oops! I did it again… (and Weekly Results 3rd September)

Britney Spears, in her youth, used to make some great little pop ditties. Anyway...

A couple of 5k rows to start the week with. Nothing strenuous – back in my rowing days I would have done them in about 17 and a half minutes, at 1.45 minutes per 500m. These were just long and relaxed, just over 20 minutes each. The leg eased up, though I knew the injury was there lurking.

DHL day came – the 5 x 5km relay around Fælledparken, only a few hundred metres from my flat. As I said, I was running on 2 teams as there were 9 of us to make 10 slots. I was not able to race my ‘colleague’ as he was not running first on his team. Off we went – I sprinted the first bit to get ahead of the pack as the run is over fairly narrow, twisting paths. One other guy wearing a company T-Shirt in front – I overtook him at about 1.5km. The first kilometre took 3 minutes 20 seconds and I felt fine. That is my fastest ever recorded kilometre!

I slowed down a bit but still did the second in about 3.35. Then at about the half way mark, the injury kicked in. I slowed down, it was still there. Sod it, I’ll run anyway. It’s done now.

My remaining kilometres were all under 3.50 minutes and I was the first finisher from my company in 18.11 – a personal best as far as I know. The last 1.5km wind through the company tents – this is a big ‘team building event’ for Danish companies – although the course this year was slightly altered as the ground was so muddy, as it had been run over by nearly 10,000 teams of 5 in the previous 3 days. It’s a great feeling, to be among the first into the tents, with crowds on either side of the path cheering the leaders.

The leg was stiff but not bad. I met the rest of my team and Brunch Girl, who had run first for her department, and went and rehydrated with a good Danish beer in our tent, before running as the last runner in the other team. I took it slowly on account of the leg, but still made it round in 19.41 – now running in the crowd and overtaking. My ‘2^nd’ team did the 25k in 2 hours exactly; the team I started in made 2 hours 9 minutes. Both well above the half way mark, so we retired to the tent for food and beer and to watch the fireworks.

That of course did not make it any better that the injury was back with a vengeance. No running for a while – and this time I will see a physio about it. See the next post…

Distance run this week: 10.0km

Distance run to date: 311.8km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 10.0km

Distance rowed to date: 65.3km