My mobile phone alarm woke me up at 5.30 yesterday morning. When I set the alarm the night before I was determined to get up early and run the 19 kilometers before taking Viktor to school. However, my determination had somewhat faded during the night, because by the time I had switched off the alarm I had already decided that it was not a good morning for running and that postponing till the afternoon was an excellent idea.
12 hours later I was cursing my early morning decision. The first 10 kilometers were unbearably hot and humid. No breeze, no shade. I felt like I was running in a sauna. It was hard to find anything positive about running at that point. But, as the sun eventually started to drop down towards the horizon, the temperature and humidity dropped too and by the time it was dark, I even felt a slight breeze.
I finished the 19 kilomters in 1:41:11. I had hoped for 1:40, but given the conditions I wasn't at all disappointed. More importantly, by the time I finished I still felt like I had at least another 5-8 kilometers left in me at the same pace. All in all, I was happy with having persevered and finished in a reasonable time.
Copenhagen Marathon is exactly 2 months away. From now on each week involves a long distance (between 21 and 32 kilometers) run each Sunday and then shorter runs (8-10kms) on most other days. It is intimidating, but I've been through this training schedule twice before and I know that it is doable. Moreover, this is nothing compared to the training regime that awaits the last 6 months before the comrades, so I'll just take one day at the time, put my head down and focus on getting the runs done. Preferably in the mornings from now on.
Marathon Madsen
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Bugolobi
Bugolobi is not as bad to run in as I had feared. On the other hand, it is not very exciting compared to Ntinda and Naguru and Kololo.
I have two different laps that I can combine to make up the distance I need to run. One lap is to the left when I come out of the gate. It is 1.6 kilometers long and can be 2 kilometers long if I run down a side road. The other lap, to the right, is 4,5 kilometers long. Both laps are tarmacked road. The longer one is hilly, but nowhere near as hard as the hills in any of the other places I have been running. The shorter one has insignificant inclines.
Because of the lack of proper hills, the views are quite disappointing. But I have found one spot, where, if timed properly, I get to see the sun set over the silhouettes of Kampala. It is stunning. And I guess I can't really ask for much more.
The terrain and the lack of views are not the only problems. Neither are they the biggest problem. The biggest problem is the people in this neighborhood. Being a lot more expensive than Ntinda, the interaction with the people in the street is almost non-existent. No one's calling out "well done" or "muzungu"; only few greet me. More or less like it would be to go for a run in Copenhagen. However, I am determined to change that! I greet all fellow runners. Those struggling I cheer on. I also greet most of the guards who are idling in front of their respective gates. And I greet the people who look like they might live within a range of of a couple of houses from our house. That makes it a lot of greeting and I hope that it will eventually make running here a little more enjoyable.
This evening I ran 17 kilometers in 1 hour and 27 minutes. Not fast enough. But it was very hot and humid and that does slow me down on the longer distances. If only I could run with no T-shirt on. But I can't. More about the next time!
Marathon Madsen
I have two different laps that I can combine to make up the distance I need to run. One lap is to the left when I come out of the gate. It is 1.6 kilometers long and can be 2 kilometers long if I run down a side road. The other lap, to the right, is 4,5 kilometers long. Both laps are tarmacked road. The longer one is hilly, but nowhere near as hard as the hills in any of the other places I have been running. The shorter one has insignificant inclines.
Because of the lack of proper hills, the views are quite disappointing. But I have found one spot, where, if timed properly, I get to see the sun set over the silhouettes of Kampala. It is stunning. And I guess I can't really ask for much more.
The terrain and the lack of views are not the only problems. Neither are they the biggest problem. The biggest problem is the people in this neighborhood. Being a lot more expensive than Ntinda, the interaction with the people in the street is almost non-existent. No one's calling out "well done" or "muzungu"; only few greet me. More or less like it would be to go for a run in Copenhagen. However, I am determined to change that! I greet all fellow runners. Those struggling I cheer on. I also greet most of the guards who are idling in front of their respective gates. And I greet the people who look like they might live within a range of of a couple of houses from our house. That makes it a lot of greeting and I hope that it will eventually make running here a little more enjoyable.
This evening I ran 17 kilometers in 1 hour and 27 minutes. Not fast enough. But it was very hot and humid and that does slow me down on the longer distances. If only I could run with no T-shirt on. But I can't. More about the next time!
Marathon Madsen
Monday, March 8, 2010
Too busy
I read a very interesting quotation in Mens Health Magazine a week ago:"My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy". John Bryant, a guys who's written a book named The London Marathon, has apparently uttered it at some point.
Echoes of the wisdom in the quote has beeen bouncing around my empty skull the last couple of weeks as I have been so busy moving houses that everything else, including my training, has had to wait. Runs have been cancelled, others have been moved a day or two. Over the last two weeks I have missed one of the crucial long runs and two shorter ones. So when I set out for a 13 kilometer run yesterday afternoon, I was honestly quite worried about how it would go.
Fortunately it went well. I'm not sure I understand why, but it did. I was flying! I finished it in one hour and five minutes flat, which is exactly speed I hope to be able to muster in Copenhagen in May. 12 kilometers an hour. The best thing is that I finished full of energy; feeling like I could have easily run another 13 kilometers at the same pace. Next Sunday 16 kilometers awaits me. I am looking forward to it already. And I have promised myself that there is not going to be any more of this 'too busy' stuff. From now on, other things will have to wait.
Echoes of the wisdom in the quote has beeen bouncing around my empty skull the last couple of weeks as I have been so busy moving houses that everything else, including my training, has had to wait. Runs have been cancelled, others have been moved a day or two. Over the last two weeks I have missed one of the crucial long runs and two shorter ones. So when I set out for a 13 kilometer run yesterday afternoon, I was honestly quite worried about how it would go.
Fortunately it went well. I'm not sure I understand why, but it did. I was flying! I finished it in one hour and five minutes flat, which is exactly speed I hope to be able to muster in Copenhagen in May. 12 kilometers an hour. The best thing is that I finished full of energy; feeling like I could have easily run another 13 kilometers at the same pace. Next Sunday 16 kilometers awaits me. I am looking forward to it already. And I have promised myself that there is not going to be any more of this 'too busy' stuff. From now on, other things will have to wait.
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