I do like to run in the dark. I started out as the light really was fading and it was completely dark by the time I got home. I really only had planned one of my usual routes, but when I got down to the seawall the lights on the water was so nice, I decided to see if I could break some kind of private best

I did. I ran 6k in 38:06. I’m very pleased with that, and am wearing a huge grin as I guzzle water.

Perfect.

Polar says: Total time: 38:06 Average HR: 157 In zone: 36:52 Kcal: 417

P.S. I almost forgot, it was raining

Well I really shouldn’t run every day at my present weight, and considering I ran longer yesterday, than I have in 13 years, I probably should have stayed home today.

But – a but was coming – I bought myself some new, sturdier, more winter like shoes today and a pair of long tights. And I had to try the new gear out.

So I ran my shortest route and I ran it downhill.

The tights are fine – although I suspect I look much like a teddy bear disguised as Robin Hood in them. The shoes are sort of fine too. But it feels as if I’m tilted a fraction more forward than I am used to. Never having worn high heeled shoes I don’t know what that feels like, but me new shoes feel like that. I’m not really in pain or anything but they will take some getting used to.

I had better wear them for work tomorrow, to break them in.

I ran 2.7K in 17.03 – fastest ever.

Polar says: Total time: 17:03 Average HR: 154 In zone: 16:42 Kcal: 179

It was really cold tonight 40F, for the first 10 minutes I was actually cold while I was running, I think I'm gonna need some long sleeved t-shirts for the winter.

I ran 4.15K - a nice and relaxed run, and I'm getting closer til 6min/km. Tonight my average HR for the first time was below 150.

Polar says: Total time: 25:54 Average HR: 149 In zone: 25:29 Kcal: 257

I’m not yet a lean, mean running machine – but I actually have put in a little more than 20K during the last 8 days. It has to be at least 20 years since that last happened.

It feels great. I’m at a point where I can actually run all of my routes at a comfortable pace where I’m not winded for a moment.

Tonight I ran one that takes me along the water for a good 1.5K - it’s 45F and there’s a wind chill, it was bloody cold some of the way but it is also magnificent to run in the dark, listening to the water breaking against the sea wall and having that full ocean smell head on

I ran 4.13K in 26.23 – it’s a tiny bit slower than the other day, but I ran it in reverse and ran uphill part of the way – Danish uphill is just the gentlest of slope, but it’s there. On the other hand I had the wind behind me along the water or it would have been murder. I had to take my cap of.

Polar says: Total time: 26:13 Average HR: 153 In zone: 25:45 Kcal: 272

A week and a half since I last did any kind of exercise. I decided just to do a short run today, tomorrow I'm going to the gym and may run a few uphill sprints on the threadmill and then Sunday I'll aim for a longer daylight run.

So ran my rich-guy's house run and had no problems other that being cold at the start. It's 54F and raining.

Polar says: Total time: 17:30 Average HR: 151 In zone: 17:13 Kcal: 178

I needed to return some rented movies this afternoon and I need to go for a longish run, as I can't run with stuff in my hands, I decided to change and then just ride my bike down to the rental place come back and run.

It's about a mile to the rental place so it was a nice warm up, but my legs felt totally strange when I started to run, like they couldn't make the transition from riding the bike.

I had a bloody hard time finding a good pace and having been lazy lately my heart rate was no indicator, so I just tried to power through.

Turns out that was just what I did, I cut 40 seconds of my best time for the route and am getting pretty close to a peace that will bring me under 30 minutes for 5K which has been my mini-goal since I started running again.

Si inspite of the fact that I even close to the end felt - this is too boring I'm just gonna stop now and almost did - it ended up being a really good run.


Polar says: Total time: 25:38 Average HR: 160 In zone: 24:07 Kcal: 288

Hold da kæft – Danish for holy merde

I knew it was cold, drizzling and a bit windy, and I did dress sensibly for my run – dug up a long sleeved cotton t-shirt and wore knitted gloves and a scarf.

Everything was OK when I set out, for the first 9-10 minutes I ran along a street sheltered from the wind, is was still only 45F and windy. After the 9-10 minutes there is an incline – not terrible steep – no such thing in Denmark – but quite long it tacks me across the main railroad tracks going into Copenhagen, then there’s a sharp turn to the left and it’s down hill all the way to the water.

Well today when I turned left I turned directly into the wind, and got no benefit from the down hill – the rain was driving by now and I thought it’s gonna be a long way home.

I struggled on and ran along the sea wall a couple of times having to jump out of the way when spray was thrown across.

Then I got to a the statue of Denmark’s most famous explorer – Knud Andersen who for some reason stares at Sweden instead of north to Greenland and the Arctic that he explored – the road curves past him, and at that point I realized I hadn’t been running directly into the wind. Mid step – in air – I felt myself being driven back from the wind, five more steps and I was done – had to walk.

I only walked briefly and then crossed the road and cut up on street to shelter. For some reason I have the hardest time getting back in stride from having walked – not if I have to walk a couple of steps before crossing a road or things like that – but when I’ve stopped because I just couldn’t go on.

So the rest of the way home was tough – even when I got to the point where I had the wind behind me.

I finished the run with just the brief walk and I most have been on to something great I finished almost a minute faster than my best time for the route – actually dead even on the 6km/h that I’ve been aiming for.

The route is 4.15K – soon I’ll run 5K faster than 30 minutes.

After a sweet, long and exhausting day with a 2 year old and a 4 year old I had the choice between flopping out in my chair and feel old or go for a run.

I ran.

And what a perfect choice. It’s the rarest of rare – cold, brilliantly clear and no wind. Zero wind.

When I got to the water, the lights off the coast of Sweden was mirrored in a dead calm sea.

What a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Polar says: Total time: 26:29 Average HR: 148 In zone: 26:10 Kcal: 260

Started my day off with my first headache in God know how long. It lifted by noon when I had lunch. But I didn’t feel absolutely on top when I got home from work. It’s been a very stress full day.

Decided a short fast run might take care of the stress. It didn’t really but only because I was twice almost hit first by a bus and then by a car.

I kindly showed the bus that I intended to turn right where he was signaling to turn on a green light, he saw and started turning only to cut up across the sidewalk so I actually had to stop by putting both hands on the side of the vehicle and bush myself back. And then he just took of.

About a kilometer further along a car sped through a very wide roundabout never looking who was in or entering it, when he saw just leaned on his horn and just barely slowed to allow me to race across.

Not much fun that – but I’m glad I’m wearing my bright orange street sweeper jacket or I would be invisible in the darkness.

Well finished in a respectable time and landed at 6.18 km/h

Polar says: Total time: 17:06 Average HR: 152 In zone: 66:19 Kcal: 174

One of these days I’m gonna have to figure out, why I haven’t been to the gym for such a long time. It’s not my usual laziness – I can’t always bully myself past that.

I love my running and I liked to do the weights so why don’t I just run every other day and do weight twice a week?

I even think I need it – I’ve been having mild backaches lately and my knees have bothered me a little after longish runs.

Anyway I went out there today with the weather changing like crazy around me – wind, sun and driving rain. And I set a new distance record: 6.13 km. Very satisfying – the time was not – but I won’t beat myself up over it, I set out to run a long one and I did.

Polar says: Total time: 41:38 Average HR: 154 In zone: 40:54 Kcal: 440

Aaaaaah, I found more of Jolly's scriblings !! How cool is that !!

Tihi (a small self satisfied chuckle in Danish) today they run the New York Marathon. For a while now I’ve been secretly planning for this very day to be the first in more than 15 years that I run for a full hour. And I just did.

Clock stopped at 1:00:24 – and then I actually had to run a couple of little loops on the streets right around my apartment building to pass time. I was counting on running at a speed of 7 min/km – and I was pretty bang on that pace: I ended up running 8.67 km, so my pace was 6.55 min/km.

I’m very satisfied with that. I was in trouble a couple of times – not with my breathing or my heart rate but simple with my old tired body. Fortunately my body started producing lovely endorphins after about 45 minutes so the last 15 wasn’t too bad (I know, some say that runners high might just be the brain overloading on feel good impulses from lungs, heart and muscles . Either way it feels good).

And I did see someone in worse trouble that me – a guy who’s dog was able to keep up him while only just speed walking

Next goal is 5K in 30 minutes or less.

Polar says: Total time: 1:00:24 Average HR: 155 In zone: 1:00:06 Kcal: 649

Well for the life of me, I can't figure out why it has taken me more than a month to return to the gym. I like the workout fine, it's a nice gym and I feel great afterwards.

My reluctance goes beyond my natural laziness, I can usually easily bully myself out of that.

But I did decide when I saw my arms had weakened a bit that I will go twice a week Tuesday and Friday.

Cardio:
Rowing machine: 3 minutes, 623m

Resistance:
Leg press: 6x110kg 8x100kg 10x90kg
Lever standing hip extension: 1x6x2 55kg 1x8x2 50kg 1x10x2 55kg
Seated hip adduction: 1x6 35kg 1x8 30kg 1x10 25 kg
Lever leg extension: 1x6 30kg 1x8 25kg 1x10 20 kg
Back stretch: 1x6 50kg 1x8 45kg 1x10 40kg
Stomach crunch: 6x50kg 8x45kg 10x40kg
Dumbbell Lateral Raise: 6x5kg 8x4kg 10x3kg
Lever chest press: 1x6 40kg 1x8 35kg 1x19 30kg
Cable Front Pulldown: 6x35kg 8x30kg 10x25kg
Cable Pushdown: 6x17,5kg 8x15kg 10x10kg
Cable Bicep Curl: 6x15kg 8x10kg


Cardio:
Running
3 minutes at 10k/h

Polar says: Total: 44:39 Average HR: 116 In zone: 11:25 Kcal: 225

Did something really stupid today – went running without being properly hydrated – in fact quite dehydrated. I ran on a double tall latte – the only liquid of any kind that I’ve had in the last 14 hours or more.

My breathing and HR was fine, but I did have some extra strong heartbeats along the way, probably all the caffeine and I had nothing to change gears with. When crossing a major road I usually speed up, not possible today.

There was a nasty headwind along the water and a fine mix of drizzling rain and ocean spray to cool me down. I did meet an old women who smile at me and told me that I was like a light in the grayness of this ordinary November day. No wonder I was wearing my bright orange municipal street sweeper jacket and my face takes on much the same hue after my first two running steps.

And then at the end of my ordeal it turned out, that I’m only 3 seconds from my goal of 6 minute kilometers that will take me just under 30 minutes for 5K.

Amazing.

Polar says: Total time: 25:06 Average HR: 149 In zone: 24:36 Kcal: 250

Nice longish run in perfect weather conditions. Didn't run as fast as I had hoped but did have three small hills on the route, never really got my HR down after the last and that coast me in the end.

Polar says: Total time: 30:30 Average HR: 157 In zone: 29:39 Kcal: 334