Running, running, running.

Despite getting sick the first part of last weekend, I quickly got back to running on Thursday and Friday as well as Saturday. I even went running for 16,4 km on the morning of Christmas Eve (Friday). Awesome.

I really love running in the snowy ground, even if it is definitely much tougher than running on terrains or tars.

Got some good stuff for running for Christmas, for example a spiky thing to put on my running shoes so that I can go running much easier when there is snow. Also, the first week at the athletic club went well (this was before I got sick). I really like the people there. Will go running with them tonight.

Wish you all Happy Holidays!

Keep on running

Petra

Snow, slushy weather, meetings, work, etc.

All that have in one way or another been trying to prevent me from running. But no, they didn't suceeed. I am more motivated than ever. Even starting an athletic club next week to start focusing at running more seriously.


It's even better when my boyfriend also has decided to join me at the athletic club. I have finally registered for the Midnight Sun Marathon this June and my boyfriend registered himself for the halfmarathon since he has never run a marathon before.

I know I have been bad at updating this blog, but just like the title says- its been a lot of meetings, lots of work and I have been fully occupied other than running, so I've prefered to go running instead of blogging about it. :)

Better later than never...

I realized, after checking comments, that I haven't updated my blog ever since before the ultra race.


I did the ultra race on October 23rd, which is almost 3 weeks ago. It was an awesome day. Windy, yeah. Pretty cold, yeah. But otherwise, a perfect day for a 50 km trail running. I took the lead with three other guys by the first 8 km. It was when I needed peeing. I stopped, looked for a good hiding place to do it. Then I went running and was just in my own world. It was relaxing. Of course, since I don't do a lot of running in trails (even though it is my favorite kind of running), I wasn't so used to run uphills and downhills. That went good though, by the first 30 km anyways. Then it went slower and slower. By 40 km, about 2 km before the marathon distance, I felt the legs weren't with me anymore. Yet, I didn't give up. I tried holding on. I started walking uphills and running downhills. By the last 2 km, suddenly my legs were with me even though all my energy was almost gone. I went running faster and faster and could run pretty fast the last few hundreds of metres to finish the race. Hell, it felt good to run an ultra. I'm definitely going to run many more ultras from now on.

However, the 2 weeks after the ultra, I noticed, even though I didn't feel injured or something, my body was unusually stiff and sore. Of course, my body was sore as well after my two marathon races. But this time, it felt different. I didn't feel like running as much the first days afterwards. When I finally got back to running a few days later, I just couldn't run as quickly. My legs just didn't have the energy, even though my body had. Now when I also got a lot to do at work, it is hard finding time to go running everyday. However, thanks to my boyfriend, who is a runner, or specifically an orienteer, himself, I get the motivation to go out running at days when I just feel like I can't do it. This weekend we will go to Denmark to run two different orienteering races. This Saturday, it is a 3.4 sprint orienteering. This Sunday, he is going to run 25 km orienteering and I'll run a 6 km orienteering. I know that I would be able to do the 25 km as well, but since I'm not a regular orienteer and just started orienteering seriously since August, I'm still learning. So 6 km is better for me. After this weekend, I'm planning to try to do a running schedule that will let me get back to running everyday or at least 5-6 times a week.

Keep on running, folks!

Some running until the ultra race this Sat.

Since Thursday's awesome run, I did a 19,5 km city/trail running last Saturday which went very well. I enjoyed every minute of it and I was so totally into my thoughts about anything possible. I was thinking about my life, how I like my job and about the ultra this Saturday. I love those running moments when I don't focus at the idea of pace, of speed, of running, of legs or feet hurting or feeling heavy. It was simply a magnificently good run. I hope to have this kind of running moment during the ultra this Saturday as well, then it should be an easy game to finish the race.

Went running for 4 km yesterday and did a very light running, in a total of 11 km, today. I'm saving up some energy for the ultra, so I won't run as much this week but I'm aiming to do some light running every day or so. Tomorrow, I got orienteering practice. This Thursday it's interval running again and this time it should be very interesting- we will run 70x20 (x2) and I'm not sure yet if it is 70m x 20 or if it is 70 x 20m. But anyways, it's really different than other Thursday intervalling runs. Let's see! It's, without a doubt, gonna be something different.

Keep on running, folks!

Intervalling 4x4 minutes.

I had an awesome run tonight. Every Thursday, I run intervals with Lunds OK. I've been looking forward today's run ever since last Thursday. I believe running intervals are actually my favorite pass. However, I believe I also like running with others because I get more motivated to run faster and that way, I'm actually slowly starting to run and run much faster than I ever thought I was ever capable to.

Anyways, tonight I didn't get tired at all. By the 4th and last lap, I felt like I could run another set of 4x4 minute intervals. So, when we "jogged" back to the gym, I ran like the devil chased me. Reaching the gym first of all, I still felt like I had so much more energy to "waste". I like that. So, tomorrow morning I'll go out for a long run with inputs of both short and long accelerations. I believe my goal of running the marathon in less than 3.30 is not so far away for me to reach. Neither is my goal of running the halfmarathon in less than 1.40.

Keep on running, folks!

Orienteering!

So, today it was an orienteering event in the woods south of Roskilde, Denmark. I made plans with a friend to meet outside of his apartment at 7 a.m., so I set my alarm clock in my Iphone to 6.30. It was the plans. 7.27 a.m., I woke up and immediately, I just thought- DAMN IT! I didn't wake up from the alarm clock. I quickly grabbed my Iphone out off my pillow and I saw a SMS from my friend. I quickly wrote back and told him I overslept and that I'm trying to get out as fast as I can to catch the 7.42 train. We originally planned to catch 7.22 a.m. I thought he already had left. Actually, he did not. He was down there waiting and he was on his way to get off when I sent the SMS. I ran to the toilet, changed into my running clothes and grabbed a banana, an orange and a water bottle and hurried downstairs when I got the SMS from my friend. He was still there! Thank god! I jumped on his bike and we hurried towards the train station. We caught the train right in time. Thank God! I felt so bad for oversleeping. He had to reassure me it was okay, that it happens to everyone. However, he made a joke of it all the day but I didn't mind. I felt so embarrassed about it.

Anyways, we got to the orienteering event right in time. I went orienteering for 2 1/2 hours, which is pretty long for a 5,5k course. However, it was not an easy course. It was actually very difficult finding the positions shown in the map. It took me 36 minutes to find the first position, by the way. However, after finding the first position, it went smoother and easier the rest of the course. IT was lots of fun and I didn't feel like it took me 2 1/2 hours. I didn't think of time, I just focused at the map and figured out the best way to get myself to the position. I'm just proud of myself for finding all positions and making it to goal. I'm definitely going to do a lot of more orienteering events from now on. I want to learn more so that hopefully I'll be able to do a 5,5k course in less than 1 hour in the future.

Orienteering is so much different than running. I actually prefer running, but I think orienteering is a great compliment to running as I actually do a lot of running in orienteering but I also have to use my navigating mind- which is challenging in its own way. Running a marathon is physically and mentally challenging, but running an orienteering event takes a lot of patience and thinking to navigate to the right positions.

So, today was a great day with other words- except from the oversleeping part maybe but it was a great story to tell the others later anyways. :) Had a lot of good laughs today. Felt physically tired, as I didn't eat much because I missed my breakfast. When I got home at 6 p.m., I just grabbed the dinner my mother left for me and ate as much as I could. I don't think I've eaten so much, so quickly, in a long time. No wonder when I was so hungry!


Keep on running, folks!

My running training lately.

So, it's been about 2 weeks since the Nike Challenge ended. I've not been running as much the 2 last weeks as I did during the Challenge, which has been good for my knees. My knees started to hurt a few days before the Challenge ended and my body has been physically tired. Anyways, I took it slower than usual the last 2 weeks and now I'm ready to get back to serious business, so to say.


This week was also my first week at my new job. I love it and I don't get too tired so that I don't feel like running after job. Actually just the opposite. I get so much energy from this job that I just wanna go out for a run after getting home.

Yesterday, I went orienteering with a friend in the dark woods, which was a different but great experience. I'm definitely going to do a lot of orienteering during the winter, but first I'll run the 50k race on October 23rd, the 12k race on October 31st and the marathon on November 14th.

Keep on running, folks!

The results of the Nike Challenge

YES! My team won the Nike Challenge and I came third place overall in the entire challenge. Not too bad, right?!? So now I'll get my own design of Nike LunarGlide+2! Plus a T-shirt as well as a running jacket.

Anyways, it hasn't been too much running last week. I don't know why, but the main reason was that I was too tired. I had too much things to do and I've been running far too much since the start of the Nike Challenge. Everything was just about running. It was a great experience, but in the end, my body didn't have the energy to keep on running as much as by the beginning of the challenge. In a way, it was good because I got 4 days of resting. I just had to. It almost drove me to nuts, but when I finally went running again last Saturday, it was as if I had found my best friend again.

Next challenge is the ultra race on October 23rd. With a distance of 50k, we are about 100 runners who will run trail ultra running race called Markusloppet. It's gonna be a different experience!

A few months ago I planned on joining the Honolulu Marathon this December, but now I've decided to postpone the plan until next year. Instead of running the marathon, I will maybe register myself for the Bromölla Marathon (a small marathon in a small city in the east of Skåne, southern Sweden) on November 14th. It's gonna be a different experience running a marathon in the cold winter weather. Thank God southern Sweden don't have snow until the end of December. However, who knows- maybe we will this year?!?

Keep on running!

3rd week of the Nike challenge.

Like I told you earlier, I came fourth in the first week of the Nike Challenge. Yesterday night, the 2nd week of Nike challenge came to an end. The results? I took the lead at 9.40 p.m. by 18 km. Shortly after, I saw another guy passing me with five kilometers and placing himself first. I went out running again, for 13 km. Came back and uploaded the distance from my Nike+ clock. It was 11.10 p.m. then. However, about five minutes after, I saw the same guy passing me by 3 km. By that time, I was too tired to go out for a run again. Surfed into the Run Unleashed group at Facebook and congratulated the guy who "stole" my first place.

This morning, I checked and noticed that there was another guy who beat us both! So the final results made me third overall in the 2nd week. Sucks. But at least, I was in the top five and I'll get another Nike t-shirt. Now the 3rd week begins and I swear, I'll fight harder this week. Next Tuesday will be an exciting night. Now I'm aiming to win the 3rd week and to win the entire challenge in total (which ends by the night of September 23rd). I'm in the 3rd place overall after 15 days. It is gonna be a tough competition, as I am running against a few other competitive guys who will do anything they can to win. However, I want to be the first girl who wins the weekly challenge! The previous 2 challenges were won by guys.

Cheer on me!

Copenhagen Powerade Halfmarathon

Today I participated in the halfmarathon race in Copenhagen. It was actually nothing I had planned beforehand. I just decided to run the race after my friend got hurt and wanted someone to take his place. So I did. I got to know this last week, just when I started the Nike challenge. I decided to still get through with the challenge as I will also run the race. Even if I ran 70 km this week before this race, which is about 40 km more than the previous halfmarathon I participated in last June, I finished the race in 1:48:17. My personal record is 1:46:38.

I actually think I could have done better. However, the same thing happened in the race as in Copenhagen Marathon last May. Which thing you may wonder? I got my one-period-once-a-month for this race. It is nothing I can control. Women got their stupid-assed periods and we can't control our periods after a race. It is impossible. Anyways, the same thing that happened in Copenhagen Marathon, like this time, was that I got pains in my stomach in the middle of this race. The pains made it a struggle for a few kilometers to get through, then they just stopped. For a while there, I felt nauseous, but with my strong mentality I just tried to get off the mind of the feeling and succeeded.

The rest of the race went through much easier once the pains stopped, but I just couldn't try to keep up my pace. In all, I'm pretty satisfied. I know for sure that next time I will participate in a half marathon, marathon or ultra race, I will not run as much as I did this week. As for the period thing, it is nothing I can control. I can just hope that I will be lucky next time so that I won't get my period.

Great running practice!

My food after a hard but great run with several intervals with a group of runners in Lund. This was my second time running with them and I really enjoyed it. I was not the fastest runner in the group, but I was surely one of the most assiduous runners. We ran 10,6 km in total, including the intervals.

Oh, and by the way- I bought Garmin Forerunner 305 today but I haven't tested it yet. I will do it first thing tomorrow morning. Exciting to see how much my running average pulse is, in both persistent long distance running and speedy but shorter distances.

After reading a book by Jonas Colting, I'm planning on trying power yoga and see if it is something for me. According to Colting and several other runners, and other athletes as well, yoga is a great complement to running.

It's been a crazy month

Even if it is only 8 days into September, it has already been a crazy month for me. I joined a Nike+ challenge beginning on September 1st and ending on September 24th. The top five runners with most running kilometers can win prizes each week. Yesterday, the first week ended and I came fourth. Today, a new week begins and I'll do whatever it takes to win this week. It's crazy, because I also got a half marathon race this Sunday. I should rest and run less until then, but I won't. I'll run like the devil chases me. After September 24th, I deserve a few days of rest (well, I say few days but I doubt I'll rest more than one day).

I beat my old record of most running kilometers in a single week during the first week of this challenge. My previous record was 70 km in a week, now I've run 135 km in a week. Most running kilometers a month is usually 230 kilometers. Now, I think I can make it 400.