Confessions of a long distance runner

Snow Patrol

2007-02-21T21:31:00.000+01:00

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...

2007-01-14T21:05:00.000+01:00

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!

2007-01-07T21:02:00.000+01:00

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

2006-12-31T16:40:00.000+01:00

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!

2006-10-29T14:59:00.000+01:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Lake Runner is not running at the moment.

Will be back towards the end of the year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dublin looking doubtful - Weekly Results 15th October

2006-10-17T21:54:00.000+02:00

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

2006-10-10T21:51:00.000+02:00

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

A schoolboy error and another injury – Weekly Results 1st October

2006-10-01T17:00:00.000+02:00

I usually enjoy getting new running shoes. The staff at Marathon Sport were their usual friendly selves, and I walked out with a new pair of Asics Nimbus – the same as my old pair but the 2007 model – which I think looks pretty cool:

The old and the new!

Anyway having spent the week in Equatorial Guinea, (is this the first time a picture of Luba has appeared on a running blog?):

resting to get rid of the pain in the right hip, I set off on a tour of the lakes in my new shoes…and made the classic schoolboy error of wearing new socks with them.

All started well – I was moving pretty quickly. By the road crossing at the end of the third lake however, my feet were warming up, especially under the ball of the foot, where smooth new shoes and socks were rubbing together particularly well to create quite some friction.

I carried on after waiting for the lights, but after making the turn at the top of the lakes and beginning the long run home, my feet felt as though they were burning up. Halfway along the 4^th lake, I suffered the indignity of stopping, and yanked my shoes and socks off. No blisters, they were just incredibly hot!

I put my shoes back on and finished the remaining 2km quickly – though with the feet rapidly warming up. I resolved to use my old shoes and socks for the half marathon on Sunday, and break the new shoes in afterwards. No pain from the leg, but the troublesome right hip was slightly painful. It had not stopped me setting a personal best of 33 minutes 44 seconds for the lake circuit though, and seemed to be something I could live with.

Sunday dawned – I had left a friend’s party by midnight to avoid having a hangover half marathon – and cycled to Islands Brygge for the start of the Powerade half marathon. The course is basically 2 laps of a figure-of-eight course, sop after the start, you pass through the start / finish area 3 times before finishing on the 4^th one. We watched the 5 & 10k runners set off, and were off 5 minutes later.

I settled down into a nice rhythm, with an aim of finishing in 1.22 – 1.23, about 3.55 per km, to beat my record of 1.24.24 set in April. I took it reasonably easy off the start, but soon overtook some fast starters to find myself alone, behind a group of 4 some 50 – 100m ahead. Soon we were overtaking the tail-enders of the 5 & 10 k race; the 10k group doing a complete lap of the figure-of-eight and providing some good motivation to pick people off. My run progressed smoothly, with even splits of 3.50 – 3.55.

It was a foggy morning out on Amager, with visibility in places no more than around 100m. The group of 4 in front of me disappeared and re-appeared through the fog as I overtook a stream of 10k runners. Getting to the start / finish area at 11km, I was in good form – a niggle from the hip but having done the first 10k in reasonable comfort in 38.40, I was feeling confident that I would take a full 2 minutes off my record. The crowd at the 11k mark boosted me a little, and I recorded a split of 3.49 before disappearing into the fog in the streets of Christianshavn.

It was just after the 13k mark that the hip started to hurt a bit more. My splits slowed to 4.02, but it seemed OK. Then just after the 14k mark, and approaching the start / finish for the 3^rd time, it really kicked in. I had to stop. I stretched a bit and took a few more steps along the course, but it was not happening. Only 6.5k to go! Surely it was possible? I tried again, and stopped. I took my number off and blended into the crowd. I had done the first 14k in 54 minutes, 27 seconds. I wasn’t tired at all – not out of breath, though I had been breathing heavily, and the legs and arms felt fine.

The runners behind me came past at least a minute after I stopped, and long after the group of 4 in front had been swallowed up by the mist.

I handed in my chip and explained I hadn’t finished, so they shouldn’t record my number. Walking was difficult – I got on my bike and cycled home. Cycling seemed to pose no problems at all.

So what on earth next? I am running faster than ever – with a record time around the lakes yesterday and what probably would have been a record half marathon today, but cannot run anymore! Another week off and see what happens? At home I walked down to the lakes to sit in the afternoon sun – autumn may have come to Copenhagen but, on an afternoon like this, it is still over 20 degrees and beautifully sunny.

It was hard enough to walk to the lakes so it looks as though I will be off games for a while. Cycling may be OK, I will check that tomorrow evening. 4 weeks to go until Dublin…I won’t run the final Christianshavnermilen of the year tomorrow though, and it looks as though my plan for 2 hard weeks at the start of October is also up for revision.

Distance run this week: 22.5km

Distance run to date: 438.1km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 0km

Distance rowed to date: 77.3km

Various runs, Weekly Results 24th September

2006-09-24T21:52:00.000+02:00

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…

2006-09-19T21:18:00.000+02:00

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?

2006-09-07T22:05:00.000+02:00

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?

2006-09-04T20:58:00.000+02:00

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)

2006-09-04T20:43:00.000+02:00

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

Weekly Results 27th August – Ducks in a Row?

2006-08-28T20:51:00.000+02:00

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

2006-08-20T21:52:00.000+02:00

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

2006-08-15T22:09:00.000+02:00

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

2006-08-13T21:06:00.000+02:00

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

2006-08-11T07:43:00.000+02:00

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

2006-08-07T21:43:00.000+02:00

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...

2006-08-07T21:28:00.000+02:00

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.

Weekly Results 16th July – Going OK

2006-07-17T19:44:00.000+02:00

A pretty good week on all accounts. Aside from the 10k Ørestadsløbet on Wednesday, I made 2 complete circuits of the lakes – on on Thursday and then a very comfortable one on Saturday after a 35km bike ride.

Finally on Sunday a 12.5km route – the original ‘Injury Route’ around Kastellet, Østerport Park and the first lake, though with an extra lake tacked on at the end in about 52 minutes. I felt fine throughout, but on Sunday evening the leg stiffened up.

I’ll take it easy this week – I am going on holiday from Saturday morning for a week anyway so will have all of next week off – and have now (just) run further this year than I had at the end of July 2005 – 662 km as against 660km.

One point I learnt this week is that my office will move towards the end of the year – so instead of the leisurely 2.5km ride around Kastellet, or the even shorter walk via the other side of Kastellet, I will have an 11km ride on the direct route or a 16km ride on the nicer road north along the coast and inland through the deer park. The sole upside, as far as I see it, will be the ability to ride or run there and get a decent bit of exercise during my commute…

My bike rides this week were both up to the north of Copenhagen, partly to figure out the best route for the new commute.

Results for the week, excluding ‘around town’ cycling and rowing done as part of a warm up (I have rounded the Christianshavnermilen figures as the distances are all only approximate anyway):

Distance run this week: 39.5km

Distance run to date: 136.5km

Distance cycled this week: 65km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 5km

Distance rowed to date: 47.3km

Ørestadsløbet - a race to a race

2006-07-15T21:12:00.000+02:00

Ørestadsløbet – another one of those Danish words seemingly invented to ensure that foreigners will never be able to speak the language properly - was highly amusing. I had had to travel to London on Tuesday night, to attend a meeting on Wednesday, and my return flight was scheduled to arrive at 18:40. The start, 5km down the road at Ørestad, was scheduled for 19:15 and, thinking the fastest way to get there would be by bike, I had taken my bike to the airport on the back of the taxi on Tuesday and parked it in a prime getaway position near the exit from Customs.

At Heathrow I changed into my running gear, with my number 232 already pinned on – though wore a pair of shorts and a T-shirt over the top to avoid looking too ridiculous. Delays on the ground at Heathrow meant we were almost half an hour late taking off. I urged the plane forward, anxiously looking out for the Dutch coast, northern Germany and finally the various disjointed bits of Denmark until we landed and were on the stand at 19:00.

The race therefore started as a sprint through the airport – or a fast walk to avoid being mistaken for someone trying to blow it up. I was outside at my bike at 19:05 facing one last challenge…5km on a mountain bike in 10 minutes, and having never cycled in this area before, unsure of where the bike route was. I just headed for the 20 story block on the western horizon which I knew stood next to the start, and after a little bit of wiggling about arrived at the scene a little late. Officials were just taking down the start banner, and there was no sign of Brunch Girl (see ‘British Rail’) who had run the earlier 5km race and with whom I had arranged to go for a BBQ afterwards. I locked up my bike and asked which direction to start in...and set off in pursuit about 8 minutes late.

The course was roughly triangular – straight out for 4.5km, right for 1km, then back in 4.5km, with the ‘in’ trail converging on the ‘out’ trail about 1 km out from the start / finish. The girl standing at the junction directed me along the ‘out’ trail and told me to catch people up.

Just after the 3km marker – which had just been picked up by a boy on a bike who was following the last runner – I caught up with the back marker. I thought about telling her she was now last but it wouldn’t have been very encouraging. From that point on I was weaving through the crowd – not so difficult as there was plenty of room – and counting off the numbers as I went past. I decided to aim to overtake 100 people, and had achieved this somewhere between 7 and 8 km. A new goal of 150 was set. The directing girl at the junction at the 9km mark looked surprised to see me now in the middle of the pack, and shouted something in Danish which may have been encouragement.

The final km was a slight rise up to the station – I ended up with an official time of 47 minutes and something, having overtaken 155 runners - and timed myself at around 40 minutes – I don’t have a digital watch so I can never time runs to the second. Brunch Girl had actually not given up on me either and was waiting there with a slice of water melon and a drink, having run her best 5k, so I had those and we then headed down to the beach for a BBQ.

A very amusing run!

Weekly Results 9th July – British Rail…

2006-07-09T22:16:00.000+02:00

…or as their old slogan went, ‘We’re getting there’ – though in my case, and arguably theirs too, not particularly quickly.

Following the Christianshavnermilen on Monday, I ran an 8.85km route on Thursday, more or less the ‘injury route’ but avoiding the park opposite Østerport. No great shakes there; I would have liked to have thrown in a couple more lakes to get it above 10km, but the effects of a beer beforehand and the heat (getting on for 30 degrees) meant that was not really a viable option.

I spent today largely at the lakes – having met a friend for brunch at midday at the café on the third lake, we then went for a walk around the first three and returned to it for a drink. After a less than promising start, the day had heated up. Later in the afternoon we shifted to a bench by the cafes on the first lake, watching runners coming past in various styles, most of which we were not very complementary about (see ‘Things to Consider No. 1'), until the recent heatwave got too much for Copenhagen and it clouded over. The various types of ducks were more interesting anyway, one particularly distinctive (and slightly harassed-looking) one has produced 13 ducklings. She is dark with a white splodge on her throat, no idea what type she is.

Anyway the cloud meant Brunch Girl went home and I went for a run, 10.9km, which is around all the lakes and twice around the last two. The clouds produced the first rain for weeks as I went, a gentle cooling type, and after looking good past the cafes (which was not a Thing to Consider today, given that the World Cup final started in 5 minutes and it was raining, so they were empty), I finished up in about 45 minutes.

We’re getting there.

Results for the week:

Distance run this week: 27.273km

Distance run to date: 97.373km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 74km

Distance rowed this week: 8km

Distance rowed to date: 42.3km

I have entered a 10km race on Wednesday evening of next week, which the start time 35 minutes after the scheduled arrival of my flight from London. Just as well it is near the airport...I may end up running to it!

Christianshavnermilen - July

2006-07-03T22:34:00.000+02:00

--Links in the Links section. All in Danish!--

Contrary to yesterday's post, this is actually 7.532km in total - an old Danish (read 'Viking') mile. I went with assorted people from work - a friend for whom this would be her furthest run yet, a friend of hers, and also one from my department who turned up at the start line just in time having run to get there. My leg had been feeling stiff all day so I was wondering whether it was such a good idea to be there at all, standing in the heat waiting to go, but such it was. There's not alot you can do in the way of prevarication if a pretty Danish girl suggests you run with her.

We ended up not running together anyway as the men start 3 minutes ahead of the ladies. I hadn't pushed for a front row starting position, so to start with it was slow going- just as well as there hadn't been a warm up to speak of. However after a kilometer or so, I was running along quite nicely with only a little pain in the leg, and by 3 km was overhauling plenty of people - I don't think Danes are adapted to running in heat.

It was a nice course around Christianshavn and the moat - the fortifications on the other side of town from the ones I run around usually. We ran past the 'free city' of Christiania, famous for being the place where soft drugs are (or were) tolerated. Or maybe not - a group of untidy looking teenagers was being searched by the Police along one road. The last 2 km took us along the lakeside, where I managed a pretty good build up to the line, and finished in about 30 minutes 57 seconds. Not bad.

My friends followed me in, and later, as I sat on a park bench with an ice cream and the one who had told me to run this time, I joked that next time should be the marathon. 'Maybe next year,' she replied - and I'm not sure if she actually might go through with it.

Weekly Results 2nd July – Cometh the Lope, Cometh the Twinge

2006-07-02T21:27:00.000+02:00

3 runs this week but of no great distance – one complete lap of the lakes, and 2 laps of the first 3 only (6.1km each).

This evening doing my final run of the week, things started very well. It was hot, as it has been for the last few days. I had warmed up carefully with a 2km row and plenty of stretching. I was running reasonably quickly in spomething approaching my usual loping style southwards along the lakes, when half way along the third one, the twinge put in its biggest appearance for some weeks. I stopped and stretched, and carried on. It was not painful after that, merely stiff as it has been in other runs. Hopefully it is only a passing thing, but this evening it is still there.

Along the final straight I overtook a runner who had previously passed me while I stopped to stretch on the 2^nd lake. This meant I had to keep going long and fast past the cafes, lest he mount a counter-attack. Despite looking good past the cafes being the first Thing to Consider (ref the last post) when running round the lakes, I have to learn that when recovering from injury, a runner on the path in front should not be seen as a challenge!

Tomorrow is the monthly ‘Christianshavnermilen’ – 7.341km, or an old Danish mile – around Christianshavn on the other side of Copenhagen. I will go and do it – not least as I will be doing it with a friend – but probably nice and slowly.

Results for the week:

Distance run this week: 20.7km

Distance run to date: 70.1km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 74km

Distance rowed this week: 10km

Distance rowed to date: 33.3km

My total for June, at 57.9km, was actually better than June 2005’s 51km – last June I was not injured, but aside from the Bridge Run, did very little running after the marathon. I ran 123km in July 2005, which I am not aiming to beat this month, having only 3 weeks available for running (the last week I will be on holiday).