(English version)
Lad mig først lige slå én ting fast – bagefter er det en fantastisk følelse: at have planlagt, trænet og herefter gennemført 67 km og en sjat på 6 timer – næsten på højde med at få børn og blive gift. Følelsen af sejr gennemsyrer hver eneste fiber i kroppen og man har mest lyst til at fortælle hele verden om oplevelsen. I lørdags var det dog ikke kun mig, der havde det fantastisk. 110 andre stillede til start, og det var fantastisk at være en del af løbet – og selvom løb er en meget individuel sport, så er sammenholdet og samhørigheden stor blandt løbere, hjælpere og tilskuere. Så derfor først og fremmest en stor tak til alle hjælpere, tilskuere, og medløbere – det var en uforglemmelig oplevelse.
I lørdags stillede jeg til start i mit første ultraløb - 6 timer. Målet var 65 km (22 omgange) og strategien var klar, samme tempo som til HCA Marathon på de første 42 km og så skulle der være næsten 6 min per km i resten af løbet.
Vejret var perfekt til løb – 10 grader, næsten vindstille og delvist overskyet. Ruten var en 3075m rundstrækning, og hvor man passerede igennem mål-teltet efter hver omgang til registrering, opmuntring og forsyninger. Ruten var flad (største stigning var 1½ meter – hurtigt døbt: Mount Ventoux) og på asfalt, sti og skovbund.
Starten gik kl 9:30 – og ifølge planen skulle det gå med tempo 4:50 til og med omgang 7 (indtil 21,5 km), dvs jeg skulle passere mål-teltet efter 1t44m. Ingen problemer her, og heldigvis fik jeg taget den planlagt føde og væske til mig, hvilket jeg tror i sidste ende reddede mit løb. Jeg ville også have været bekymret hvis jeg allerede her havde fået problemet.
De næste 8 omgange skulle gennemføres i tempo 5:08, så jeg skulle passere mål-teltet efter omgang 15 i tiden 3t50m – det gik også ganske udmærket. Jeg havde i princippet ikke nogen fysiske kriser, så jeg kom ind ca 2-3 min før planlagt. Men da jeg havde passeret maraton begyndte jeg at få problemer med maven. Gel-portionerne og vandet begyndte at ”gære” godt i maven og jeg tog et par omgange uden at tage noget til mig. Det kunne selvfølgelig ikke holde i længden, og så gjorde jeg noget som jeg normalt altid plejer at fraråde alle andre fra: at eksperimentere. Jeg har aldrig drukket cola på nogen træningsture, men lidt i panik over at jeg ikke kunne fortsætte med gel og vand, begyndte jeg at drikke cola og spise bananer.
De sidste ”planlagte” 7 omgange skulle så være nemmere – jeg havde give mig selv ca. 6 min per km. Da jeg passerede 15 omgange begyndte jeg at skulle kæmpe for at holde mig i gang (det var vel også forventet på dette tidspunkt). Men samtidig med at maven gav problemer, måtte jeg finde på et eller andet, der kunne holde mig i gang. Så jeg begyndte at gå 1-3 min lige efter mål-teltet for at synke cola og banen ordentligt, og så løb jeg i relativt højt tempo herfra rundt til mål-teltet igen. Det fungerede perfekt, runde efter runde blev ædt på denne måde.
40 min fra afslutningen begyndte officials at uddele en stafetpind, vi skulle lægge på det sted vi stod, når slutsignalet lød. Da jeg passerede mål næstsidste gang fik jeg tilbudt en pind, men valgte at sige ’nej tak’ for at presse migselv til at tage yderligere en omgang. Det gav mig et ordentlig boost af adrenalin at vide at jeg, trods begyndende kramper i benene, skulle løbe én omgang mere for at få de kilometer med i regnskabet. Og da jeg passerede mål-teltet d. 21. gang var jeg temmelig høj. Der manglede kun 11 min, så jeg vidste at jeg ikke kunne nå en hel omgang. Men jeg droppede colaen og ”spurtede” ud på sidste omgang. På grænsen af total krampe fik jeg kæmpet mig til yderligere 2.5 km, og jeg lå faktisk til sidst og løb om kap med én af de bedre løbere i feltet. Fantastisk fornemmelse at man spurter efter næsten 6 timers løb!
Da signalet for løbets afslutning lød, var det en fantastisk varm fornemmelse. Og jeg måtte igen kæmpe med ”Runner’s high”. Tanken om familien, at det var overstået, trætheden og adrenalinen var næsten for meget, og lige pludselig er man ved at stå at tude ude i en skov på Djursland.
Men det var fantastisk at gå tilbage sammen med de andre løbere – sige tillykke til de andre – og i det hele taget komme ”hjem” til mål-teltet. Og da Peer havde været rundt med måleapparatet, viste trip-tælleren: 67,165 km og en placering som nr. 15. Wow – en smule mere end forventet, og benene var egentligt ikke så meget mere ømme end ved en maraton..
Nu må jeg lige restituere et par dage, og så begynder et nyt ”projekt” nok at spøge i horisonten.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Grenå 6 hours Endurance Race
Let me say one thing first - after the race it was an incredible feeling: the planning, the training, and executing a race of more than 41 miles in 6 hours is almost as good as getting kids and get married. The feeling of victory runs through your body and you just feel like sharing it with the rest of the world. But it wasn’t only me who last Saturday felt fantastic. Together with 110 runners we managed to get through 6 hours, and even though running is a very individual sport, the team spirit between runners, volunteers and spectators made it an incredible and unforgettable experience.
Last Saturday I participated in my first endurance race of 6 hours. The objective was 40.4 miles (22 laps) and the strategy was clear. Same pace as HCA Marathon for the first 27 miles and then I would have almost 9:30 min per mile for the last 13+ miles.
The weather was perfect for running – 50F, no wind, and partly overcast. The course was 3363 yards to be completed as many times as possible. The tent at the start/finishing area was the central point for registration, encouragement from the volunteers and supplies. The course was flat (highest climb was 1.6 yards, quickly named: Mount Ventoux) and paved and gravel paths.
We started at 9:30am – and according to my strategy I should run with pace 7:44 per mile for the first 7 laps (13.4 miles), meaning I should pass the tent the 7 th time at 1h44m. No problems experienced, and I managed to eat and drink according to my schedule which I believe eventually saved my race. I would have been worried if I would have any problems in this part of the race.
The next 8 laps were scheduled to be done in pace 8m21s per mile, so I should pass the tent after 15 rounds in 3h50m – it happened. I had practically no serious issues, so I passed 2-3 mins before the plan. But when I passed the marathon mark (27 miles) I started getting problems with my stomach. The gel-energy and water started to not want to stay where it should and I did a couple of laps without eating anything. That was not a doable situation, so I did something I always discourage other runners from doing in a competition: to experiment. I have never used cola in any of my training exercises, but in a mild state of panic, I started drinking cola and eat bananas.
The remaining ”planned” 7 laps should be easier – I had given myself the freedom to run a pace of 9:40 per mile. When I passed 15 laps, I started to have to struggle to keep myself going (probably expected at this time in the race). And I continued to have challenges to eat and drink. Whatever I did, it wanted to get up again. So I started to walk 1-3 mins while drinking my cola and eating, and then run in a relative high pace for the remaining lap back to the tent. It worked and lap after lap I got closer and closer to my goal
40 mins from the end, the officials started distributing tokens with our racing numbers – to be placed on the ground when the finishing signal sounded. When I passed the starting line the second last time, they offered me the token, but I refused forcing me to run pretty fast to get to the starting line again and get it. It gave me an enormous boost of adrenalin to know that I, despite beginning muscle cramps in thighs and calfs, had to get back to the starting line to get the token to get my result. And when I passed the starting line for lap 22 I was pretty high on andrenalin. There was still 11 mins left, so I knew I was not able to finish the lap. I ran straight through the tent without any treatment and “sprinted” toward the last lap. On the edge of total shutdown I managed to run additional 1.6 miles, and at the end I paced with one of the better runners. Fantactic feeling to be sprinting to give absolutely everything after 6 hours of running!
When they sounded the finishing signal, I was just overwhelmed with a warm feeling, and I had again to fight against “runner’s high” . The thought of my family, finishing, fatigue and the adrenaline was almost too much, and all of sudden you find almost find yourself sobbing in a forest in a remote part of Denmark.
It was fantastic to walk back together with the other runners – congratulating, sharing war stories – and in general just getting ”home” to the tent at the finishing line. When the final result became public, it showed: 41.734 miles - Wow – a little more than expected, and my legs didn’t feel worse than after a marathon.
So, a couple of days of rest and then I am sure a new "project" starts to materialize.
Last Saturday I participated in my first endurance race of 6 hours. The objective was 40.4 miles (22 laps) and the strategy was clear. Same pace as HCA Marathon for the first 27 miles and then I would have almost 9:30 min per mile for the last 13+ miles.
The weather was perfect for running – 50F, no wind, and partly overcast. The course was 3363 yards to be completed as many times as possible. The tent at the start/finishing area was the central point for registration, encouragement from the volunteers and supplies. The course was flat (highest climb was 1.6 yards, quickly named: Mount Ventoux) and paved and gravel paths.
We started at 9:30am – and according to my strategy I should run with pace 7:44 per mile for the first 7 laps (13.4 miles), meaning I should pass the tent the 7 th time at 1h44m. No problems experienced, and I managed to eat and drink according to my schedule which I believe eventually saved my race. I would have been worried if I would have any problems in this part of the race.
The next 8 laps were scheduled to be done in pace 8m21s per mile, so I should pass the tent after 15 rounds in 3h50m – it happened. I had practically no serious issues, so I passed 2-3 mins before the plan. But when I passed the marathon mark (27 miles) I started getting problems with my stomach. The gel-energy and water started to not want to stay where it should and I did a couple of laps without eating anything. That was not a doable situation, so I did something I always discourage other runners from doing in a competition: to experiment. I have never used cola in any of my training exercises, but in a mild state of panic, I started drinking cola and eat bananas.
The remaining ”planned” 7 laps should be easier – I had given myself the freedom to run a pace of 9:40 per mile. When I passed 15 laps, I started to have to struggle to keep myself going (probably expected at this time in the race). And I continued to have challenges to eat and drink. Whatever I did, it wanted to get up again. So I started to walk 1-3 mins while drinking my cola and eating, and then run in a relative high pace for the remaining lap back to the tent. It worked and lap after lap I got closer and closer to my goal
40 mins from the end, the officials started distributing tokens with our racing numbers – to be placed on the ground when the finishing signal sounded. When I passed the starting line the second last time, they offered me the token, but I refused forcing me to run pretty fast to get to the starting line again and get it. It gave me an enormous boost of adrenalin to know that I, despite beginning muscle cramps in thighs and calfs, had to get back to the starting line to get the token to get my result. And when I passed the starting line for lap 22 I was pretty high on andrenalin. There was still 11 mins left, so I knew I was not able to finish the lap. I ran straight through the tent without any treatment and “sprinted” toward the last lap. On the edge of total shutdown I managed to run additional 1.6 miles, and at the end I paced with one of the better runners. Fantactic feeling to be sprinting to give absolutely everything after 6 hours of running!
When they sounded the finishing signal, I was just overwhelmed with a warm feeling, and I had again to fight against “runner’s high” . The thought of my family, finishing, fatigue and the adrenaline was almost too much, and all of sudden you find almost find yourself sobbing in a forest in a remote part of Denmark.
It was fantastic to walk back together with the other runners – congratulating, sharing war stories – and in general just getting ”home” to the tent at the finishing line. When the final result became public, it showed: 41.734 miles - Wow – a little more than expected, and my legs didn’t feel worse than after a marathon.
So, a couple of days of rest and then I am sure a new "project" starts to materialize.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Nervøsitet
Så er der 3 dage til årets store løbe-udfordring: Grenå 6 timer. Jeg kan godt mærke at nu begynder ”uroen” over at kaste sig ud i noget som man ikke har nogen ide om man kan gennemføre.
I mandags måtte jeg skrive min løbs-strategi ned i et Excel doc for at visualisere hvad det er jeg skal på lørdag – bare for at få lidt ro på og for at forsikre mig selv om at det ikke lyder uoverkommeligt. Hidtil har jeg bare haft den i hovedet, men da jeg begyndte at udregne omgangstider og ½ MT tider, så lød det pludseligt mere overkommeligt. Ikke at jeg er fuldstændig uden nervøsitet nu, men det er da bedre.
Så om 3 dage er målet at løbe 65 km – umiddelbart lyder det ikke så langt, når man forsøger at berolige sig selv med at man mange gange før har løbet 42 km, men alligevel er der en vis uro for hvad der sker efter 42 km. Jeg håber at mad/drikke strategien vil give pote, og at jeg dermed vil have et vist overskud når jeg passerer 42 km- ellers bliver det lange 23 km til sidste
Efterhånden har jeg også fortalt det til alle jeg kender, så jeg håber at når jeg står ude på ruten på lørdag at jeg kan huske at jeg ikke vil tabe ansigt til alle disse mennesker ved ikke at gennemføre de 65 km. Det burde være en god motivationsfaktor til at fortsætte når hjernen prøver at overbevise mig om noget andet.
I mandags måtte jeg skrive min løbs-strategi ned i et Excel doc for at visualisere hvad det er jeg skal på lørdag – bare for at få lidt ro på og for at forsikre mig selv om at det ikke lyder uoverkommeligt. Hidtil har jeg bare haft den i hovedet, men da jeg begyndte at udregne omgangstider og ½ MT tider, så lød det pludseligt mere overkommeligt. Ikke at jeg er fuldstændig uden nervøsitet nu, men det er da bedre.
Så om 3 dage er målet at løbe 65 km – umiddelbart lyder det ikke så langt, når man forsøger at berolige sig selv med at man mange gange før har løbet 42 km, men alligevel er der en vis uro for hvad der sker efter 42 km. Jeg håber at mad/drikke strategien vil give pote, og at jeg dermed vil have et vist overskud når jeg passerer 42 km- ellers bliver det lange 23 km til sidste
Efterhånden har jeg også fortalt det til alle jeg kender, så jeg håber at når jeg står ude på ruten på lørdag at jeg kan huske at jeg ikke vil tabe ansigt til alle disse mennesker ved ikke at gennemføre de 65 km. Det burde være en god motivationsfaktor til at fortsætte når hjernen prøver at overbevise mig om noget andet.
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