Running the Narrow Path

Aiming for Athens - week 6

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:42:46 PDT

This was yet another very busy week. I'm really pleased that I could fit the running in but my plan of running Tuesdays and Thursdays had to be abandoned as I was forced to swap days again. The weather have been a little cooler and we've had a few thunderstorms with heavy rainfall and strong winds. Luckily my exercise days have been mostly dry.

I apologize for not being able to podcast in a long time. I would like very much to talk about my training with you all but life has just been too hectic lately. I 'll be on summer holiday soon and my first project for the time off from work will be producing a new episode. In the mean time, here is a sum up of this weeks marathon training.

Wednesday: Just an ordinary maintenance run without any special events to report. This week have been less eventful than earlier weeks with nearly no animal spottings at all. Well, there are lots of birds around and I've seen a deer or two but that is the normal thing for the roads and paths I chose to run. I felt a bit stiff as I started the run probably because of the hills I ran on Sunday but I loosened up pretty quick and felt very good after just a short while.

Friday: I couldn't really find the time for running but the thought of skipping this run made me disappointed so as I finally got myself ready and headed out the time was after 11pm. Since it was that late I only did a shorter, 5ish km, run out and back on the bike path. Summer nights can be beautiful here, and it was even if it was a bit chilly and not nearly as light as it can be because of the clouds that drifted rapidly over my head in the strong wind. I'm glad I could fit the run in.

Sunday: This weeks long run was supposed to be 20.1 km and I had planned what loop to run. I wasn't really sure what the distance would be but was pretty sure it was going to be quite close to 20. As I started out on our street and was going to make my first turn I realized how windy it was and very quickly decided to run the loop the other way around so I turned right instead of left because I thought that way I would experience less headwind. As it turned out it was the wrong decision. I had the wind in my face most of the time and the long stretch where I thought I would benefit from having the wind at my back was more or less sheltered by trees and buildings so I don't think I got much help from the wind there.
I know I'm running my long runs too fast but find it difficult to slow down because it feels awkward and that might be because I'm concentrating too much on my pace and steps. So this time I decided to not pay any attention to the Garmin, I was just going to run the way that felt good. I focused on being relaxed, run with a good posture and breath properly. It was successful and I felt very good for most of the run. I ran my fastest km in 6:08 and the slowest in 6:59, so I think I kept a fairly even pace throughout the distance. The variation in pace can't be explained by being earlier or later in the run, me being more tired at the end, but is more likely to be caused by the surface. Forest paths are usually slower than tarmac roads, running uphill is often done a bit slower than running downhill etc.
As I was closing in on home I realized that the loop would be a little short of 20 kms so I extended my run with another little loop to increase the distance and to be able to cool down by walking a little before I reached my home. At 20.4 kms I entered a railroad bridge and I found the climb there to be a good point to stop running and start the cool down walk.

I've had a good running week with a total distance of 34.1km/21.2miles.

Aiming for Athens - week 5

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:05:53 PDT

Another great week of running. A fantastic week when it comes to experiencing the forest and the wildlife. I still think marathon training is a lot of fun, the weather has been good, my training is going great and I feel invincible. I suspect that this feeling might change later on when the distances gets longer and the inspiration perhaps fades. But I'm very thankful for every good day and I'm so happy that I can do this.

Tuesday: A thrilling run in which I came upon at least three wild boar that I apparently scared, and I saw them cross the path I was aiming for and disappear into the woods. They were only around 20 meters from me and finally seeing them and not only their tracks made me both excited and and a bit nervous. The ones that I saw wasn't too big they were probably born last spring and now, comfortably seated in my home, I can't really understand why they made me nervous but I would be really scared if I ran into a group of a mother with her newly born. I don't want to come between them, or surprise a fully grown male at a close range.
The encounter uplifted my spirits and I ran the rest of my run almost euphoric.

Friday: I postponed the Thursday run one day due to a headache but felt fine on Friday and headed out to explore a "new" road. It is only a shorter stretch of a known loop but it will give me the chance to chose a different scenery. I ended up taking a wrong turn which led me on to a surface that wasn't really runable and then I had to do a bit of climbing to get back to the road but I now know where I should have turned and will do so next time.
On this run I saw a moose on a field beside the road. The moose stood just beside the road and I stopped to see what he was going to do. We looked at each other for a short while and then the moose turned and ran across the field giving me free passage. I enjoy seeing animals when running but not too close. And it's the same thing with moose as it is with boar I would be really scared to come too close to a mother with her calf. Most of the animals, however, are more scared of us than we of them and will retire if they have the chance. I'm sure there have been many animals that have heard me coming but went further into the forest before I got the chance to see them.

Sunday: There is no long run scheduled for this week so I thought I'd do some hill training instead. Since the Athens marathon is more or less one long hill, I think that some preparation of running hills could be useful when the day comes. The area where I live is fairly flat but I looked up an undulating part of a forest road and ran the "hill" up and down for a while. I ran up, jogged down and walked for a long minute, and the routine fitted very well with the 3/1 run walk ratio so I let the gymboss signal be the start for each "climb" during the exercise. For each completed interval I picked up a pebble to keep count of how many repetitions I did. When I was done I put ten pebbles on the top of a tree stump and for my imagination I could see the stump all covered up with pebbles by the end of the summer. We'll see whether I'll be able to keep doing the exercise, I can't really say that I enjoyed it that much but hopefully it was good for me.
When I was bored with running back and forth, up and down, I took a detour through the forest on my way back. I'm glad I did because the forest was absolutely amazing. It was a bit wet after a couple of thunderstorms and rain this afternoon but I didn't mind. The air was so fresh and rich of oxygen, and the birds where singing louder than ever. The sun was setting and spread a warm light, giving everything a yellower tone. The sun was shining on a male deer with fairly long antlers and I had to stop and just watch and listen and take in the atmosphere. The sun was also shining on a layer of mist rising over the fields I passed. The mist appeared to be of gold dust. And again I had to stop and enjoy what I saw. This has been an incredible week. I can't really grasp how lucky I am that I'm able to run and that I can experience the beauty and the magic of the environment that I enjoy so much - the narrow paths.

Total distance for the week, 25.6km/15.9miles but maybe that isn't very important since the Galloway plan doesn't count distances other than for the weekend run. The middle of the week runs are measured by minutes and not distance. Anyway, I think it is interesting to keep track and I'm very pleased with what I've accomplished so far.

Aiming for Athens - week 4

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 15:13:33 PDT

Once again a very busy work week with some traveling that forced me to swap the training days around. I assume that there isn't anything wrong with that and I'm pleased that I had the opportunity to get all of the scheduled running done.
When traveling I brought my mp3 player and listened back to The Extra Mile Podcast - Galloway Edition. I listened to the episodes that covers the first weeks of the program in hope of learning more about how to train. One thing that came very clear is that I am running my long runs too fast. I should probably slow down at least 1 minute/km or even 1:30/km and I also ought to run a 2/1 ratio instead of the 3/1 that I'm currently doing.
So for the Sunday long run of 17.7km/11miles, according to the plan, I tried to slow down but... read more about it below.

Wednesday: After a terrible day at work it was so good to be running in the forest. The weather was perfect, the scenery was breathtaking, the air was filled with birdsong and after just a little while all the negative thoughts and the stress that I brought home from work just disappeared. I'm very lucky to be able to run and to have the environment that I enjoy so much nearby. This run was, beside the training, therapy for a stressed mind.

Friday: As I started the run I felt good and strong and I begun to wonder what would happen if I skipped the walk breaks. I haven't run without walk breaks for a long time so I got curious to find out if I was strong enough to run 5kms without them. I didn't turn my Gymboss off, I just ignored the vibrating signals and kept running. Around 1½ - 2 kms into the run I still felt good and strong and my curiosity changed focus. Now I begun to wonder how fast I could run 5kms without walk breaks. So I turned the run into a race and speeded up a little. I'm aware that running the way I did isn't described in the Galloway program but there is the opportunity of doing fartleks or speed play runs so let's consider this run as that. I ended up a little more tired than usual but very pleased with my performance. I finished the 5k in 26:29.

Sunday: For my long run I was determined to slow down and my aim was to run a pace of 7:30/km or so in order to follow the Galloway program more strict. I didn't dare to change the run/walk ratio as I now am so used to the 3/1 that I would probably get very confused not run/walking the 3/1. But, I really tried to run slower but I didn't feel comfortable and my running didn't feel natural so I gave up and just ran the way that felt right. I didn't pay too much attention to the pace or to the Garmin but only ran to feel good. I did pay attention to my breathing since Mr Galloway strongly forbids huffing and puffing on a long run. I might have huffed once or twice going uphill but not a single puff was heard during the entire run so I think I might get away with running faster than stipulated in the program.
All in all a great running week with a total distance of 31,3km/19.4miles.

Aiming for Athens - week 3

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 26 May 2013 14:21:54 PDT

Another busy week at work, and at home, but I managed to follow the schedule quite well. Running the shorter weekday runs is not too difficult it doesn't need to take up too much time and is manageable in the evenings after work. But the warm and sunny weekend have made me realize that if I'm going to fit in the longer weekend runs later in the program, in the middle of summer, I will probably be forced to start running early Sunday mornings before it gets too hot and that will be a challenge since I'm not a morning person. But I guess I'll have to adjust.

Tuesday: I felt tired and my legs hadn't really recovered from last weeks longrun but I ran 7 kms in the neighborhood. Even though the weather looked like it was going to rain any minute I managed to get back home without getting wet. Running this season is great in any weather, the trees and flowers are amazing and the forest is filled with birdsong.

Thursday: I was not in the mood for running but I reluctantly went out, much too late in the evening , and after running only a few hundred meters everything turned around and I felt so good. Running was fun, and I wasn't feeling as tired as I did just before I went out. The bad mood I was in turned into a really good mood and the bad and boring thoughts I carried with me from a not so good day at work suddenly disappeared. I ran a few hills without feeling too worn out and I once again ended up running longer than planned.

Sunday: It was time for the first magic mile of the Galloway training plan that I'm following so after warming up I ran a mile on the bike path. I have measured it up on google maps and think it is accurate enough. The mile I had measured up more thoroughly and used for magic mile running a few years ago is no longer there because of road construction and a new bridge over the railroad.
As I started out I hadn't decided weather I would take a walk break or not when running the mile but at halfway I realized that I had been running a bit faster than my current fitness level allowed so I walked for almost a minute before heading on. The time for my first magic mile was 7:54 and even though I'm not going to set a time goal for the marathon I couldn't resist doing the math and see what the time might predict. I also have to be aware that this is only the first magic mile but the time hints towards a finishing time of 4:30 if I run at "full speed".
I am not going to run the marathon at full speed though, that is not the way I prefer to run. I enjoy running for experiencing things along the way, taking in the scenery of places that I pass, watching trees, animals, buildings and things and for a marathon in Greece I also hope to get the chance of chatting with fellow runners along the way. Running at full speed might limit the possibility to enjoy the event the way I want to. Nevertheless it was interesting to see what the prediction pointed at.
Total distance for the week ended up at 24.45km/15.2 miles a bit shorter than last week but this was an easier week according to the plan.

Aiming for Athens - week 2

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 19 May 2013 14:30:38 PDT

This week was a bit tougher, maybe not running wise but I had a very hectic week at work which involved too much sitting on trains and meetings. Long days of traveling also made it difficult to get enough sleep. I haven't been able to squeeze in any stretching or strength exercises this week but I'm very pleased that I could fit in the running days according to plan. All the sitting made the legs a bit heavy and stiff at the start of each run but I warmed up pretty quick and after a little while running (run/walking 3/1) was easy and I felt strong.

Tuesday: I celebrated my 53rd birthday with a 53 minute run on the narrow paths. I had a very good time and ended up with 7.55 km even though the plan said less running but I thought I'd cut back a little on the other days of the week to compensate - little did I know.

Thursday: The first really warm and summer like day and I got the chance to run a bit earlier than usual in the afternoon. Even though the temperature was a bit too high I couldn't resist to go running in the sunshine. First run in shorts for the season. I ran smaller loops not too far away from home with my winter white legs in bright contrast to the marine blue shorts. I had such a great time that I kept adding loop after loop until I finally, after a 9 km run, arrived at home.

Sunday: The plan said 14.1 km and I decided to run a loop that I thought would be around 15 but after 5-6 km I realized that I was wrong and that I would have to run much longer to get back home again. I tried a few shortcuts even though running shortcuts in an area you're not familiar with can turn out even longer. I managed to decrease the distance a little but ran longer than intended for the third time this week. Distance for the week ended up at an (for me) amazing 33.05km/20.5miles. I've also surprised myself with a really good pace and a feeling of being strong. All in all a great week.

Aiming for Athens - week 1

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:13:13 PDT

Hopefully this will be a series of posts where I'll reflect on my marathon training. This post will sum up week one of the training and I intend to write down some of my experiences over the weeks to come.

After having a hard time deciding whether I could/should run a marathon or not I finally made up my mind. I decided to give it a try. The Marathon that I have in mind to try is the Athens Classic in November 2013. I am going to follow the Galloway marathon training program and I have chosen the time goal program. I am not going to set myself a time goal though but will run the marathon with a "to finish" approach. The reason why I picked the time goal program is that I think I have a good enough base to start from and feel that I will enjoy the longer distances involved in this program.

I have never run a marathon before, I have done a couple of half marathons and in order to prepare for them I have run slightly longer distances. The longest distance that I've covered is probably around 25km, so in a way this will be exploring uncharted territories. I have been run/walking the Galloway way for a few years and have found that it suits me well. I am confident that the Galloway program will guide me through the training and later on also the race.

Ok let me sum up week one of the training.

I've had a fantastic week of running.

My intention is to run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays but this week I had to swap the days around a bit.

Tuesday: I started my training by running a local 10k race and manged to squeeze one second off my old PR. I finished in 54:03 which I'm very happy with. To me that's a fantastic start to the training. I ran/walked the race with a 3/1 ratio with minor adjustments.

Friday: My daughter Ellen joined me for an easy run/walk which turned out to be more walking than running but after running hard during the race I didn't really mind. She brought her camera and produced the great video that can be seen in the last post. We had a great time together in the forest and I really appreciated her company.

Saturday: The plan called for a long run of 12.1km and I went for a loop that I have used for several weekend runs lately. It is slightly longer but I thought I'd run slow and easy and that one more km would not be harmful. I ended up running a bit faster than I intended but felt good through most of the run. I ran/walked 3/1 this time also. That is the ratio I have come to use on most of my runs and found to be good. The distance for this run turned out to be 13.8km and the total distance for the week ended up at 28.6km/17.8miles. That puts this week among the top 5 distance wise so far this year but probably as number 1 when it comes to the having fun category.

Elements

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sat, 11 May 2013 14:24:43 PDT

Here is a video produced by my daughter. Take a look and you'll get a glimpse of the Narrow Paths where I enjoy to run.

RtNP#50 Slowing Down

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:58:53 PDT

In this episode you can hear me explain why I'm running slower and shorter distances at the moment. We continue to celebrate the 5 years of podcasting. And I talk about a scary running experience that involves darkness and wild animals.

Links to things mentioned:

The Extra Mile Podcast

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Ersi Arvizu - Friend For Life (2:55)

Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

RtNP#49 Five Years and Counting

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 14:37:34 PST

This is the five year anniversary episode of this podcast and it has been one of the most fun episodes to produce. It turned out a very special episode to me and I hope you'll enjoy listening to it.

Thank you all who took part in the celebration.
Thank you all who downloads and listens to my podcast.

These five years of podcasting has been an eventful time in many ways but the lasting impression, when looking back, is all the friends I have come to know. Thank you all who has been along on the journey. - Hmm, I sound like this is a farewell but it's not. No, I will go on podcasting and running and it will be very interesting to find out what the coming five years will bring.

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

African Treehouse - Big Numbers
The Gas House Gorillas - Nine Lives (xcrpts)
Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

Contact me by e-mail (address in link to the right) or post a comment below.
Subscribe to this podcast by using the links to the right.
Listen to this episode here. (right click [save-as..] for download).

RtNP#48 Looking Back..and Ahead

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:01:58 PST

So the new year, 2013, is here. Let's hope it will be a good one. I recorded this episode on my first run for the year and according to the way I felt I think 2013 might be a very good year for me. As the title suggests there is a bit of looking in both directions in this episode as well as a book review .. among other things.

The next episode will be the 5 year anniversary of this podcast and if you want to participate, please send a short audio or written words to: krister(dot)wson(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll include your voice and/or words in the episode and that way we'll make the episode together. I will need the material within this month.

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Jonathan Coulton - So Far So Good (3:15)
Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

RtNP#47 Approaching Christmas

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 11:01:19 PST

This was recorded on a winter run in the beginning of this month and as usual it took me much too long to edit and upload. I barely managed to get it ready before Christmas but here it is, with the margin of only a few days.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!

Some music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

VioloncLn - Requiem for a dream (1:40)
N3 Symphony Orchestra - Carol of the Bells (2:20)
Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

The Moment is Now

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 10:40:21 PST

My daughter made a winter video. The actor might not be very talented but there are some beautiful images from a pleasant December afternoon.

RtNP#46 Discipline

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 12:18:53 PST

Once again an episode that took me much too long to get ready and upload - sorry- but here it is. This was recorded on a grey, windy autumn day. I don't think you will be bothered by the grey and dark but the wind might be a bit disturbing in some parts of the recording.

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Great Big Sea - Dream to Live (5:20)
Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

RtNP#45 Multitasking

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 03:23:42 PDT

It is with mixed emotions that I greet autumn. I'm not so fond of wet and chilly weather and I fear the darkness that arrives with the shorter days but I enjoy the beautiful clear and sunny days when there still is some warmth and the air is crisp. This episode was recorded on one of the good autumn days. It was, in fact, a perfect day. You can see just how perfect on the photos here.

Links to things mentioned:

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Manic Street Preachers - Autumn song (3:35)
Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

RtNP#44 Poetic Headlines

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 03:26:58 PDT

Autumn is here, a dark and wet season with colds and lack of inspiration. Nevertheless I managed to pull myself together and edit a recording that had been awaiting further processing. Part of the recording turned out to be broken but here is the audible part of it, in which I talk about
cancelled race plans, how great I think Dailymile is, some wild as well as domestic animals including a rabbit update.. among other things.

Links to things mentioned:

Daily Mile

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Charlie Crowe - Vegas Hard Rock Shuffle (4:25)

Maria Daines - Unite (bkgr)

Mark Heimonen - Smooth Sailing (bkgr)

Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

Contact me by e-mail (address in link to the right) or post a comment below.
Subscription to this podcast can be made by using the links to the right.
Listen to this episode here. (right click [save-as..] for download).

RtNP#43 Horseflies

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:16:59 PDT

Here is another episode of unstructured nonsense, spoken in a slightly unfocused manner. - A rather ordinary episode.
The weather was nice during my run though, but that is perhaps a little difficult to share in audio.

Some subjects that I tried to share is:
a memory from the past that I might have told you in earlier episodes but is brought to my mind every time I run this special trail.
an on going invasion of slimy creatures.
and I'll let you in on an idea which slowly is taking shape in my head.

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Mieka Pauley - Secret (3:42)

Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

RtNP#42 Liberty Loco

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:20:16 PDT

Sorry about the delay but here it is - finally - the Liberty Loco episode of this podcast.

I was fortunate to be part of the Liberty Loco event that Peter of the Spikes podcast organized in the middle of June and I have put together a number of audio clips from the event but I wish that conditions had been a bit better. Strong wind, rain and talking at a distance to the microphone doesn't make the ideal circumstances for recording. I've tried my best to make the recorded material audible but it contains a good deal of wind noise and audio levels are uneven. You have now been warned.
I hope that you through the noise can hear what a great time we had as we ran the Liberty Loco with joy.

RtNP#41 Fairy Encounter

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:22:44 PDT

While running and recording this audio I had an odd experience, somehing that I still don't have a resonable explanation to. If you, after listening to my somewhat vague description of what I saw, have a suggestion to what it might have been, I would be very pleased if you would let me know your theory.

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Travis and Julie - Invisible (3:05)
Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

RtNP#40 Spring Season

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:27:37 PDT

Spring is arriving in the northern hemisphere and have now reached as far as the Narrow Path area.

In fact spring has been around for a little while and this episode was recorded on a nice and warm day some weeks ago but I've had difficulties finding the time to prepare and upload the audio, sorry. Even if days are getting longer they never seem to be long enough for all the things that has to be done and there is usually very little time left for the fun things I want to do. I hope to be better organized for the next episode. Running and exercise are going great though.

Please "spring"/run with me on this spring-run and...
(a somewhat cryptic sentence perhaps, but listen to the audio and you might get an explanation)

Please "spring"/run with me on this spring-run and, among other things, I'll tell you some of what spring means to me.

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Brunswick Duo - Spring Song by Bridge
Matt Stern - New Beginning
Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

RtNP#39 Watching the Sky

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:31:17 PDT

This was recorded a few weeks ago, sorry about the delay, on my first Forest Run this season and if only the weather stays the same, or perhaps even better, you and I can expect many more to come. It looks like 2012 will be a good year running wise.

Links to things mentioned:

Podcast Nuggets

The Fire Apes

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Chris Floyd - Dreamy town

Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

RtNP#38 Lightheaded

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 15:36:14 PDT

After a few technical issues I now hope it will be possible to download and listen to this episode.

First there was a bit of uneven audio levels in the recording that I had to fix, and even if I did my best, the level is still a little up and down. Hope you can put up with that.
Next issue I faced was a problem with the hosting service and I had to go through a new learning process to figure out how to deal with that. Without the help I got from Nigel and the Podcast Nuggets site I'm not sure that there would have been an episode at all. Thanks Nigel!

So, in this episode you can join me for a very pleasant winter run and you can also hear me talk about my first experience running with a proper headlamp.
Here are a few links to other things mentioned:

The Midpacker's Lament audio book

Run World Radio

Running Podcasts.org

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com

Dave Percell - Into the Light

Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

RtNP#37 Low Clouds

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 05:06:06 PDT

HAPPY NEW YEAR

and welcome to a new season of running and podcasting. This is a recording from my first run in 2012, a run that I really enjoyed and if my running for the rest of the year will be only half as good I'll be very pleased.

The music in this episode is a bit different from what I usually play but I hope you like it. This time it's from a concert that I wish I had been able to attend.

The intro/outro music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com
Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way

Contact me by e-mail (adress in link to the right) or post a comment below.
Subscription to this podcast can be made by using the links to the right.
Listen to this episode here. (right click [save-as..] for download)

RtNP#36 Running in London

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 05:08:50 PDT

On the weekend of the 8-9 of October, I and my family visited London and this episode of the podcast covers some of what we experienced.

We did quite a lot of sightseeing together with our very good friend Paul. London is a great and interesting city and with only a couple of days to spend I think we managed to see a lot. But I'm well aware that there is much more to see so I guess we have to go back some day.

On Sunday Paul and I ran the WWFoR half marathon together and our conversation during the run is the main content of this rather long episode.

RtNP#35 Friends

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:50:03 PDT

Unfortunately my michrophone was a bit out of place when I recorded this so there is a bit of puffing into the mic in this episode - sorry about that.
But if you can put up with that you will be able to experience a bit of drama. I will not give away too much here but there is a report from the scene of a minor natural disaster aswell as a severely stressed podcaster, much too late for a meeting. In fact it might bring to mind a rabbit, known from the litterature, who keeps looking at his watch repeating how very late he is.
There is also a segment where those of you that are learning Swedish can practice your skills.

The music is from Mevio's Music Alley, at musicalley.com.

Bill Kahler - Feet Make The Path
Matthew Ebel - Lost My Way (intro, outro)

Links

Run Yank Run

The bird that scared me was a Jay.

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Skräcklan half marathon

krister.wson@gmail.com (Krister) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:30:23 PDT

I've said that I wouldn't run any races this year... but today I went ahead and did my second race this summer. I had planned to run a long run this weekend anyway so why not do it together with a bunch of other runners.

The race took place in the nearby city Vänersborg and was organized by a local running club. There was both a full marathon and a half marathon taking place at the same time and on the same 8km track of roads and parkways. The full marathon was 5 laps around and the half was 2 ½ laps. I entered the half marathon race but since I hadn't signed up in advance I had to be there a bit early to register. My wife Georgia came with me and after I had registered we went to have a cup of coffee while we were waiting for the start.

The weather was nice for running, 15C/59F, cloudy, not much wind. I had wished for a bit of sunshine to brighten things up but the environment was really beautiful anyway.

I don't really know how many runners there were in the two races but my guess is that we were less than a hundred, probably closer to fifty than a hundred. It's not a very big race but in my opinion those races are usually a lot of fun. Two years ago I did the Gothenburgh half marathon together with 50 000 runners and today I did this race together with a lot less runners and I have to say that I prefer the smaller race.

We started 100m in front of the full marathon runners and the moment of the start was a bit vague since the start signal was produced over at the other starting line but it all worked out just fine. Since we were running 2½ laps we didn't do a full 8km first lap but had to take a shortcut after a few kms and come back to the later part of the loop. But that was no problem because one of the volunteers was standing there pointing us all in the right direction. The second and third lap we ran the full 8km loop. The first half of the loop was mostly on roads but the second half was on beautiful parkways along the lake Vänern, some parts among trees but for quite a long distance we had a beautiful view over the lake. The track was well marked out and the race well organized

Ok, my experience of the day... I started out too fast. At least according to the plan I had made. Based on my last long runs I was going to aim for a 6:30/km pace but after a couple of kms I found that I was running a 5:30 - 6:00 pace and I was a bit worried that I would run into problems later in the race. At the same time I felt very good and even if I tried to slow down a bit I seemed to be running at the same pace so I stopped worrying and went with the flow. I was run/walking with a 3:1 ratio and followed the intervall timer as strict as I could. The 3:1 ratio is how I have been training lately and it suits me good.

When you are the only run/walker you tend to be rather lonely, I mean that even if you are surrounded by the same people most of the time and you pass and get passed by them all the time, you don't really keep the same speed as they do and you can't really "cling on" to anyone. When you are running they are too slow and when walking they are much too fast. So I did my own race without that much help with the pace.

I kept on running and felt good for most of the race and with 6kms to go I did a prediction of my finishing time and found that there was a tiny possibility to finish under two hours. The time showed 1hour 28 and with 6kms to go and a 6 minute/km pace that would give me a finish time of around 2hours and 5 minutes. Ok for a little while I toyed with the idea to speed up and try but then I would have to run almost a minute faster per km for the rest of the race and I soon gave up the idea. The pace I was running was very pleasant and why take the risk of ruining it all. I decided to just keep on and enjoy the event. As it turned out I must have kicked up the pace anyway and I finished in 2:01:22 on my watch. The official time isn't up yet so there might be an adjustment to that later on but I am very happy with myself and also a bit surprised. I did beat my earlier half marathon PR with 20(!) minutes.